Four Networks for Geologic Hydrogen Storage

每年，大量的可再生能源被浪费，因为它们是在需求较低的时候生产的。一些多余的能量可以通过将水分解成氢来储存，氢是一种灵活的燃料和有用的化学物质。但是，氢气能以足够大的规模储存在哪里，以影响我们社会的碳足迹？地下多孔岩层可能能够储存和返回氢。天然气储集层封存天然气已有数百万年的历史。枯竭气藏的储存还可能为依赖化石燃料开采的社区提供新的经济机会。然而，目前尚不清楚氢是否可以储存在岩石中，并在不造成经济损失的情况下进行回收。解决这些问题具有挑战性，因为除了安全问题外，氢还可以与矿物和微生物相互作用，从而改变其可用性和转售价值。氢经济的社会和经济影响也是未知的。在这里，该团队利用世界各地的专业知识来调查地下氢气储存的科学、环境、社区和经济影响。他们进行了最先进的实验，以揭示氢在岩石中储存时的化学和生物变化。目标是确定最好的天然水库。他们设计了一个全尺寸的实验，可以在野外测试氢气的储存。他们分析了过渡到氢经济的社会经济影响。他们评估与新兴绿色氢气行业相关的机会和风险，同时向感兴趣的社区提供信息。这样的评估对于释放日益增长的清洁能源供应并将其分发给公众至关重要。该项目还培养了未来的绿色氢气劳动力。它为1名博士后助理以及研究生和本科生提供支持和培训，特别是来自科学界代表性不足的群体。更具体地说，该项目围绕4项任务进行组织。任务1使用实验的宏基因组学和地球化学方法来了解化学和生物氢损失。这项任务的成果是一个热力学生物地球化学模型，用于预测氢在任何候选储集层中的命运。任务2利用美国和国际专家设计了一项氢存储的实地研究，以测试对存储性能的预测。这项任务的目标是为实地研究生成并发布一份开放的研究提案，该提案可用于任何考虑向氢经济过渡的国家。任务3研究和对比荷兰和加利福尼亚州氢气枢纽区域开发的计划和活动。这里的一个基本目标是让社区了解如何评估和建设性地应对与新兴绿色氢气工业相关的机会和威胁。任务4为本科教育和培训创造了新的国际机会，重点是围绕氢气的各种科学、技术、环境和经济问题。这项任务旨在招募不同的STEM学生进入地球科学领域，并培训他们跨学科、社会和国际边界进行熟练和协作工作。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Every year, large amounts of renewable energy are wasted because they are produced at times of low demand. Some of the excess energy could be stored by splitting water into hydrogen, a flexible fuel and useful chemical. But where can hydrogen be stored at scales large enough to impact the carbon footprint of our society? Underground porous rock formations may be able to store and return hydrogen. Natural gas reservoirs have trapped gas for millions of years. Storage in depleted gas reservoirs may also provide new economic opportunities to communities depending on fossil fuel extraction. It is unclear, however, whether hydrogen can be stored in rocks and retrieved without economic losses. Addressing these issues is challenging because, beside the safety concerns, hydrogen can interact with minerals and microbes in ways that alter its usability and resale value. The social and economic impacts of a hydrogen economy are also unknown. Here, the team leverages expertise worldwide to investigate the scientific, environmental, community, and economic implications of underground hydrogen storage. They carry out state-of-the-art experiments to unveil the chemical and biological transformations of hydrogen while stored within rocks. The goal is to identify the best natural reservoirs. They design a full-scale experiment where storage of hydrogen can be tested in the field. They analyze the socioeconomic implications of transiting to a hydrogen economy. They assess the opportunities and risks associated with the emerging green hydrogen industry while informing interested communities. Such an assessment is critical to unlock a growing supply of clean energy and distribute it to the public. This project also trains the future green hydrogen workforce. It provides support and training for 1 postdoctoral associate, and graduate and undergraduate students notably from underrepresented groups in science. More specifically, the project is organized around 4 tasks. Task 1 uses experimental metagenomics and geochemical methods to understand chemical and biological hydrogen losses. This task outcome is a thermodynamic biogeochemical model to predict the fate of hydrogen in any candidate reservoir. Task 2 uses US and international experts to design a field study of hydrogen storage to test predictions of storage performance. This task's goal is to generate and publish an open research proposal for a field study that can be used in any country considering the transition to hydrogen economy. Task 3 studies and contrasts plans and activities for the regional development of hydrogen hubs in the Netherlands and California. An essential goal here is to inform communities on how to assess and constructively respond to opportunities and threats associated with the emerging green hydrogen industry. Task 4 establishes new international opportunities for undergraduate education and training with a focus on the diverse science, technology, environmental and economic issues around hydrogen. This task seeks to recruit a diverse body of STEM students into Earth science fields and train them to work skillfully and collaboratively across disciplinary, social, and international boundaries.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.