【全球动态】新的锌电池技术可以储存和生产绿色氢

如果我们要实现我们的气候目标，向可再生能源的进行过渡是至关重要的，但若完全依赖如太阳能、风能等自然能源，则将会面临着一个重大挑战：高效率的能源生产和可持续的能源 储存 。

现在，由Fraunhofer IZM领导的一个德国研究联盟致力于用锌电池技术解决这个问题，这种技术不仅可以储存电能，还可以按需生产绿色氢。

为了实现这一目标，研究机构与两个商业合作伙伴(Zn2H2和Steel PRO Maschinenbau)合作开展Zn-H2项目。

研究小组选择用锌电池进行试验，与锂电池相比，锌电池不仅更便宜。它们还是由完全可回收和更容易获得的材料组成：钢、锌和氢氧化钾。其后，研究人员在混合物中加入碱性电解水，从而产生了一种全新的技术。

Fraunhofer IZM的Robert Hahn博士解释了电池内部的化学过程是如何工作的:“在充电过程中，水氧化成氧气，同时氧化锌还原成金属锌。这在放电过程中会还原为氧化锌。水再次被还原并释放出氢。这是普通电池和氢气源的独特结合。”

研究人员已经对单个电池进行了实验室测试，以评估它们在多个循环中的效率和稳定性，以证明他们的系统是有效的。到今年年底，他们计划测试8个相互连接的电池，每个电池的容量约为12V和50Ah。

根据该团队的说法， “第一次测试保证在储存电力时效率为50%，在生产氢气时效率为80%，预计寿命为十年。”他们的愿景是实现一个工业规模的、可充电的储氢系统，该系统具有双重功能:以金属锌的形式储存能量，并在需要时将其转化为电能和氢气。 他们还认为，锌电池的低成本使该技术成为商业绿色能源存储的一个有吸引力的替代方案。

Zn-H2项目计划于2025年9月结束，旨在进一步实现我们的绿色能源转型。释放的绿色氢的能量(目前仅占全球氢气产量的1%左右)不仅可以帮助化学和钢铁制造等高排放行业脱碳，还可以为家庭使用提供电力和热量。

New zinc battery tech can store and produce green hydrogen on demand

The system promises a 50% increase in storage efficiency

While our transition to  renewable energy  is critical if we are tomeet our climate targets, fully relying on sources such as solar and wind still presents a major challenge: efficient and sustainable storage.

Now, a German research consortium led by Fraunhofer IZM aims to tackle this problem with a zinc battery technology that can not only store electrical power, but also produce green  hydrogen  on demand.

To realise this goal, the research institutions teamed up with two commercial partners (Zn2H2 and Steel PRO Maschinenbau) to work on the Zn-H2 project.

The group opted to experiment with zinc batteries that, compared to their lithium-ion counterparts, aren’t just cheaper. They also consist of fully-recyclable and more easily available materials: steel, zinc, and potassium hydroxide. The researchers then added alkaline water electrolysis to the mix, which resulted in a completely new technology.

Dr. Robert Hahn of Fraunhofer IZM  explained  how the chemical processes inside the battery work: “During charging, the water oxidizes into oxygen, while reducing the zinc oxide to metallic zinc. This reverts back to zinc oxide during discharge. The water is again reduced and releases hydrogen. This is a unique combination of a regular battery and a source for hydrogen.”

The researchers have run lab tests on individual battery cells to evaluate their efficiency and stability over a number of cycles, proving that their system works. By the end of the year, they plan to test eight interconnected cells, each with a capacity of about 12V and 50Ah.

According to the team, “first tests promise 50% efficiency when storing power and 80% when producing hydrogen — with an estimated life expectancy of ten years.”

Their vision is to realise an industrial-scale, electrically rechargeable hydrogen storage system with a twofold function: storing energy in the form of metallic zinc and turning it back into electrical power and hydrogen when needed. They also believe that the zinc batteries’ lower cost renders the technology an attractive alternative for commercial green energy storage.

The Zn-H2 project is scheduled to end in September 2025, aiming to further enable our green energy transition. Unlocking the power of green hydrogen (which currently accounts for only about  1%  of global hydrogen production) can not only help decarbonise high-emitting industries such as chemicals and steel manufacturing, but also supply electricity and heat for domestic use.