Hydrogen Fuel Cells Are Becoming Too Big to Ignore

[kristopher]

11. More hydrogen hooey?

We can give you credit for being persistent. And speaking of credit, you're going to need it since the energy storage market is growing by leaps and bounds and in spite of being front and center in the research arena for decades, hydrogen isn't even a blip on the market's radar.

This article gives a good sampling of the wide range of energy storage applications:
http://www.supersmartenergy.com/energy-storage-and-renewable-integration/

This article reviews the main technologies that are vying to meet those needs:

Key report insights suggest:
Global advanced energy storage systems market size was estimated at 3.7GW in 2014 and may reach 11.3 GW by 2022 growing with an estimated CAGR of 15.0% from 2015 to 2022.
North America dominated the regional demand with an estimated market share of 47.5% in 2014. Favourable environment regulations to curb CO2 emissions are likely to drive this regions demand. Asia Pacific is likely to witness high growth rates with an estimated CAGR of 15.7% from 2015 to 2022. Presence of large scale manufacturing units particularly in China and India is anticipated to drive Asia Pacific’s market growth.
European market valuation exceeded USD 340 million in 2014. Renewable energy installation programs by European Union couple with preference given to electric vehicle production in countries such as France and Germany is expected to drive regional demand.
Highly fragmented energy storage systems market share is characterised by joint ventures and continuous research programs for developing technologies used in difference applications. Key industry participants include LG Chem, AES Energy, Alevo, Nippon Chemi-Con, Samsung SDI, A123 Systems, LLC, Duke Energy and GE.


For the purpose of this study, Radiant Insights has segmented the Advanced Energy Systems Market on the basis of technology and region:
Global Advanced Energy Storage Systems Technology Overview (Capacity, Mega Watts; Revenue, USD Million, 2012–2022)
Batteries
Flywheel
Thermal
Compressed Air
Molten Salt

http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/10/26/779754/0/en/Advanced-Energy-Storage-Systems-Market-Size-Is-Anticipated-To-Reach-At-USD-24-8-Billion-By-2022-Radiant-Insights-Inc.html

Why? Simple. It is an extremely inefficient means of storage. That translates into high cost both in terms of input energy and the infrastructure required to produce that energy, which means the energy retrieved from hydrogen storage via fuel cells is also much more expensive than the alternatives.