Can Hydrogen Storage in Metal Hydrides be Economically Competitive with Compressed and Liquid Hydrogen Storage? A Techno-economical Perspective for the Maritime Sector

The aim of this work is to evaluate if metal hydride hydrogen storage tanks are a competitive alternative for onboard hydrogen storage in the maritime sector, when compared to compressed gas and liquid hydrogen storage. This is done by modelling different hydrogen supply and onboard storage scenarios and evaluating their levelized cost of hydrogen variables. The levelized cost of hydrogen for each case is calculated considering the main components that are required for the refueling infrastructure and adding up the costs of hydrogen production, compression, transport, onshore storage, dispensing, and the cost of the onboard tanks when known. The results show that the simpler refueling needs of metal hydride-based onboard tanks result in a significant cost reduction of the hydrogen handling equipment. This provides a substantial leeway for the investment costs of metal hydride-based storage, which, depending on the scenario, can be between 3400 - 7300 EUR/kgH2 while remaining competitive with compressed hydrogen storage.