Breaking the Barriers: Hydrogen Storage Solutions for Net-Zero 2050

Meeting net-zero emissions worldwide by 2050 will require breakthrough energy systems, and hydrogen (H2) will be a key clean energy fuel. The dynamics of production, transport and end-use are, however, limited by the issues of storage, which is central to efficient performance of production and transport. This point of view reviews the existing H2 storage technologies, including compressed gas, cryogenic liquids, and solid-based systems, and identifies their technical, economic, and safety shortcomings. Recent developments in nanostructured materials, cryo-compressed systems, and hybrid storage are described, in addition to what is known in material discovery using artificial intelligence (AI). The perspective also highlights the importance of policy, market forces, and international cooperation in surmounting deployment-related barriers. This contrasts with assertions of H2 as the missing link in the H2 economy, where storage is the enabler of the system, making it the pivoting point rather than H2. Busting the H2 storage barrier is an exercise that goes beyond the technical realm to the very existence of a carbon net-zero future.