Melbourne Energy Institute

The way we generate and consume energy in the future will depend greatly on improvements in energy storage technology. Energy storage is of critical importance to both the transportation sector as well as the transition to intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and tidal power.

Peak oil will have a profound effect on the way we run our lives, particularly depending on how we choose to apportion remaining oil supplies over the rest of this century. The possibility of a transition to biofuels (see bioenergy section) is generating much excitement, however, a massive production capacity will be required if it is to replace any significant part of our current oil demand. Most probably, the availability of cheap electricity will result in its increasing uptake for the purposes of transportation. The viability of this transition depends on the availability of effective storage devices or mediums.

Over recent years there has been steady technological progress in secondary (rechargeable) battery storage, and hydrogen storage. However, significant challenges remain in both areas. Battery technologies, including advanced lithium and nickel-based cells, would still benefit from higher energy density, faster charging rates, and longer lifetimes. Hydrogen, while easy to produce, remains a challenging substance to store; the extremely low weight-to-volume ratio and condensing temperature of hydrogen means that to contain a useful quantity, high pressure or extreme refrigeration is required.

At the University of Melbourne, research is being directed towards finding new ways of storing hydrogen at moderate temperatures and pressures. Current research is focused towards creating lightweight, porous materials that are able to sorb and release large quantities of hydrogen under pressures much less than that commonly found in gas cylinders. Our approach is to link light metal ions with molecular bridges to create open-type networks that would serve as hosts for hydrogen guest molecules. A side benefit of this research is that it may also lead to new materials that are able to absorb and store gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Contact

• Rachel Caruso