This hydrogen is supplying the Hypster project – supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership – which aims to test and validate the role of hydrogen storage in the hydrogen value chain, with a view to replicating it on a larger scale and supporting the development of the hydrogen industry in Europe.
Green and renewable hydrogen is now said to be recognised as one of the essential pillars of the new energy mix, because of its ability to address some of the hardest-to-decarbonise energy uses, such as industry and heavy mobility. To enable the sector’s large-scale deployment, the Hypster consortium is exploring the possibility of storing large quantities of green hydrogen in salt caverns, which are already used to store natural gas. Producing hydrogen from intermittent renewable electricity means that surplus energy can be stored and released when demand is high, contributing to the efficiency of the power grid and facilitating the integration of renewable energies. Salt caverns offer good stability over long periods and the salt is impermeable, which prevents hydrogen from escaping. In addition, these formations are generally located sufficiently deep to guarantee thermal insulation and constant pressure, making storage safe and reliable.
From a logistics point of view, the developing green and renewable hydrogen sector faces challenges every day, e.g. access to the molecule, gradual deployment of the transport and storage infrastructure and implementation of regulations. The specific nature of certain projects also adds new constraints, making logistics even more complex.
To meet the specific technical and logistical challenges of the Hypster project, Lhyfe's supply chain team designed a bespoke system capable of:
Matching the minimum pressure of the cavern (110 bars), which required transporting more hydrogen (4 tonnes) than the final quantity injected 2.6 tonnes) Reducing the number of trucks needed on site, thanks to large capacity containers, including the largest on the market Delivering the entire required volume in a very short time. Lhyfe delivered 2.6 tonnes of renewable green hydrogen to Storengy at its Etrez-Bresse Vallons site in the Ain region. To do this, it mobilised two 40-foot containers with a storage capacity of a tonne and three 30-foot containers with a storage capacity of 0,75 tonnes, transporting a total volume of renewable green hydrogen of more than four tonnes. Lhyfe entrusted these five delivery runs to the Brun Group.
Matthieu Guesné, founder of Lhyfe: “Through this achievement, our team has demonstrated its ability to manage the flow of renewable green hydrogen with our carriers, from our sites to our customers' facilities, taking into account their most complex constraints and providing them with its expertise. This success also demonstrates the extent to which the renewable green hydrogen sector is maturing day by day.”