The California Hydrogen Business Council (CHBC) has implemented a programme to assist the wider market adoption of hydrogen as a form of energy storage in California.
The programme, called Hydrogen Energy Storage (HES), aims to provide a greater understanding of power-to-gas energy storage and the role played by hydrogen as a stationary and transport fuel.
“Hydrogen energy storage will play an increasingly important part of the future energy mix in California as we extend the use of renewable power,” said Mark Abramowitz, CHBC President. “The formation of this programme will play a vital part in defining the role and guiding the deployment of hydrogen energy storage.”
California has a target of reaching 33% renewable electricity by 2020, as set by the California Air Resources Board. On top of this, the state passed a bill in 2010 calling for grid-scale energy storage that requires utility companies to procure 1.3GW of energy storage by 2020.
The CHBC intends to make hydrogen energy storage a part of realising those goals by advancing the commercialisation of hydrogen in both stationary energy storage and for transportation. The HES programme involves ITM Power, Southern California Gas Company and Hydrogenics Corporation.
