Wind Power Makes Hydrogen For Grid

For the first time on an industrial scale,
. . . hydrogen produced using wind power,
. . . is being injected into the natural gas grid in Germany.
It’s a development that could enhance the value of wind power,
. . . by making it useful no matter when it is produced.
has a capacity of
. . . 2 megawatts and can pump out
. . . 360 cubic meters of hydrogen every hour.

The Falkenhagen facility is essentially a way to store wind power.
Instead of turning off the turbines at a nearby wind farm when demand is low
. . . . . . (as it can be at night, when the wind tends to blow strongest),
. . . or using the power to move water up a hill
. . . . . . (effective but site-specific and expensive pumped hydro)
. . . or charge a battery (expensive),
. . . or try to find a buyer for the power far away (requiring costly transmission),
. . . the power is used to turn water into hydrogen by electrolysis.
The hydrogen is then shot straight into the area’s natural gas system,
. . . displacing a fossil fuel.

2013-09-09 Source:  Wind-Power-Hydrogen