"Daryl Wilson, chief executive of Hydrogenics, told reporters at the World Hydrogen Energy Conference that there’s a potential for up to 1,000 megawatts of hydrogen-fuelled generation capacity in Ontario.
"Hydrogen can be used to store surplus power, he said. Ontario sometimes has too much power, for example, when high winds produce a flood of energy during periods of low demand.
"That depresses prices, and Ontario ratepayers occasionally have to pay neighbouring states and provinces to absorb the excess power.
"Ideally, surplus power would be stored for later use. But right now, there are few ways to do so, since electricity can’t be bottled like oil or gas.
"Using surplus power to produce hydrogen, by breaking water molecules into separate streams of oxygen and hydrogen atoms, is one way to store the energy.
"That’s where pipeline companies come in. Hydrogen produced using surplus power can be pumped into the natural gas system to supplement the gas supply."
Full article: Using hydrogen to connect gas and electricity system.
