CONVERTING, STORING AND BENEFITTING FROM HYDROGEN AS A FUEL FOR THE FUTURE
Supported by voestalpine and other renowned project partners, the "Underground Sun Storage 2030" project has set itself a groundbreaking goal: seasonal and large-scale storage of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen in underground gas reservoirs. What sounds like a dream for the future will be put into practice soon.
NEW IDEAS FOR A WORLD POWERED BY RENEWABLE ENERGY
In simple terms, Underground Sun Storage 2030 is about using electrolysis to convert solar energy into pure hydrogen in a climate-neutral way during the summer months and then storing it in depleted natural gas reservoirs during the winter months. We hope to gain valuable insights in subsequent investigations for the development of secure hydrogen supply.
RESEARCH AT THE CENTER
But why is secure hydrogen supply so important? The possibility of using stored hydrogen in the production of greentec steel and the planned decarbonization of our steel production is of great importance. That is why we are investing in the construction of a state-of-the-art research facility at a former natural gas storage site in Gampern, Upper Austria.
MEETING THE CHALLENGE
"The research activities of this project bring us a significant step closer to the ambitious goal of reducing CO2 emissions by around 30% by 2030, using hybrid technology and even producing CO2-neutral products by 2050 through the increased use of green hydrogen," says Nina Kieberger, project contact and research engineer at voestalpine Stahl GmbH, about our far-reaching commitment that is being funded as part of the energy research program of the Climate and Energy Fund.
