Enlarge / The right membrane can make hydrogen production much easier.
With renewable energy becoming cheaper, there’s a growing impetus to find ways to store it economically. Batteries can handle short-term fluxes in production but may not be able to handle longer-term shortfalls or seasonal changes in power output. Hydrogen is one of several options being considered that has the potential to serve as a longer-term bridge between periods of high renewable productivity.
But hydrogen comes with its own issues. Obtaining it by splitting water is pretty inefficient, energy-wise, and storing it for long periods can be challenging. Most hydrogen-producing catalysts also work best with pure water—not necessarily an item that’s easy to obtain as climate change is boosting the intensity of droughts.
A group…