Hydrogen fuel as an important element of the energy storage needs for future smart cities

Abstract

A considerable amount of non-dispatchable photovoltaic and wind power have always been planned in smart cities, however, the problem of massive energy storage has not yet been solved which limits the use of green energy on larger scale. At present the only battery energy storage is available, and it is effective only for storing modest quantities of energy for short periods of time. The other storage technology options are not often commercially available items; rather, they are just good concepts that need to be tested for viability. Currently, the only alternative options for turning an urban development into one that exclusively uses green energy is to use that energy to generate hydrogen through electrolyzers, then use this fuel to generate the required electricity in order to stabilize the grid. Even more appealing is the idea of using wind and photovoltaic energy to transform smart communities into a centre for producing hydrogen in addition to a city that solely uses renewable energy. The most likely solution, absent an urgent debate inside the science establishment, will be to import electricity from the burning of hydrocarbons while continuing to pay carbon offsets, which is incompatible with the goal of using only renewables. The smart city has not officially accepted this issue, just like the science establishment.