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Tyrolean startup wants to disrupt hydrogen storage

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Tyrolean startup wants to disrupt hydrogen storage

Hydrogen as a sustainable energy source is becoming increasingly important in view of the climate crisis and the energy transition. One of the major challenges with this environmentally friendly solution is storage, which is often very complex and expensive. The Tyrolean startup HyDepot wants to change that with a chemical storage facility that converts the hydrogen in combination with CO2 into methanol. The company founded by Christian Mair is supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws).

The market for hydrogen will also grow strongly in Austria. According to the federal government’s hydrogen strategy, one gigawatt of electrolysis capacity for the production of green H2 is to be built in the country by 2030. The gas should then be used in energy-intensive industry (e.g. steel production) to replace fossil fuels there.

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“We bind CO2 permanently in storage”

“The pressurized storage of hydrogen is usually very expensive, and such systems also take up a lot of space. Our solution, on the other hand, is cheap and efficient. Because we turn the hydrogen into a liquid by converting it into methanol, it’s much easier to store than in gaseous form, and it can be stored anywhere. Not only do we offer such a climate-friendly energy source, we also remove CO2 from the atmosphere by permanently binding it in our storage system,” explains Christian Mair.

According to Christian Mair, the idea for HyDepot came from shipping. Because the transport of energy sources is very difficult, especially on ships, especially for reasons of space and cost. That is why the founder has made it his goal to find a scalable and cheap solution to make the sustainable energy source hydrogen easy to transport under all circumstances. This should make the import and export of hydrogen much more attractive.

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Patented process for the decomposition of methanol

HyDepot has developed a patented chemical process to recover the hydrogen that has been converted into methanol back into gaseous form. According to the startup, CO2 remains in liquid form for the next feed-in process. The young company’s plant has pipe storage tanks into which the liquids are fed and discharged. In the end, the startup installs the systems either as underground storage tubes or as large containers.

The storage should be used in different areas. Industrial companies and vehicle fleets should be able to store hydrogen locally and build up local energy reserves in low-price phases on the electricity market. Energy suppliers, operators of solar and wind parks and energy communities should also be able to store hydrogen in this way in order to be able to build up reserves for seasons with little sun or wind. The HyDepot storage systems are also intended to be used for transcontinental and intercontinental energy transport.

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HyDepot gets help with scaling from aws

The CO2 required for the chemical process can come from industry, thus reducing its climate footprint. There is still the question of the most efficient transport method, but Christian Mair is confident. “Better and better carbon capture opportunities are emerging now. It will soon be possible to deliver the CO2 to our plants easily and inexpensively by truck. Another option is to buy methanol and then break it down in our storage facilities,” says the HyDepot founder.

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But before the chemical hydrogen storage system can really catch on, the startup must first scale the technology. The aws is of great importance here. “aws supports us financially and has already saved our business. We are still a very small company and because we are developing a key technology ourselves, we don’t receive a lot of funding. But the aws looks at the technical competence, not at the size, which is why we appreciate them as a partner,” says Mair. In the future, HyDepot wants to build a first demonstration system and is already in talks with several potential partners. The storage systems are to be used first in industry.

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