Alternative to the battery; hydrogen!

17 March 2022

Elfa lives by batteries and has more than 100 years of battery expertise. Yet it is certainly not blind to other developments. We believe that the battery will always play a very important role for small-scale applications. But where the battery will power cars or, even bigger, provide power to homes and companies, we expect its role to become small in the coming decades. After all, hydrogen offers a better alternative.

If we want to store wind – and solar power for a long time, converting it to hydrogen seems to be the best option now. The green power splits water into oxygen and hydrogen through a process of electrolysis. Some energy is lost in the process, but the obvious advantage is that hydrogen gas can then be stored in tanks indefinitely. When burned, the energy is released again, but without CO2. Natural gas combustion does. The rest product is pure water.

Plans are currently being developed for an energy island in the North Sea with a hydrogen factory that will convert power from offshore wind farms into the clean gas. Factories can use hydrogen as an energy source or feedstock. And through the existing natural gas grid, it can even be brought to our homes. Cars can drive on it. And those hydrogen cars can act as power factories that supply electricity back into the grid at peak times. We believe in it and in the meantime we still see numerous applications for the battery.