underground sun storage - etip snet

Stephan BAUER, Manager Power to Gas, Innovation and Development

RAG, Schwarzenbergplatz 16, A-1015 Vienna, Austria, www.rag-austria.at

Underground Sun Storage Seasonal Storage of Renewable Energy in depleted Gas Reservoirs

Results of an in-situ Field Experiment and Outlook

ETIP-SNET; September 18th, Aachen

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RAG Austria - Company Profile

RAG Underground Sun Conversion | Stephan Bauer | 2017 09 18

• Among leading Underground Gas Storage Operators

• State of the art and most innovative Storage Operator

• Storage volume 66 TWh (6,0 bcm)

• Unload capacity 30 GW

Our vision:

• Positioning RAG’s assets in a changing energy system

Talking about Underground Gas Storage

RAG Underground Sun Conversion | Stephan Bauer | 2017 09 18 3


Electricity Storage ≠ Energy Storage

Electricity Generation

from renewable sources

Electricity Storage

Energy Demand

20% Electricity

50% Heating/Cooling Industry

30% Mobility

H2, Methane Gasgrid

Gas Storage = Energy Storage ≠

Grid Balancing

Day-Night Shift

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36.0

00 M

Wh

What is the problem we are talking about?

5 RAG Underground Sun Conversion | Stephan Bauer | 2017 09 18

Batterystorage in every

Household in the

region

1.200 MWh

Batterystorage in every

single Passanger Car

in the region

180.000 Electric

Vehicles

4.500 MWh

Pumped Hydro in the

area

2.800 MWh

Gas Storage Facility

RAG Puchkirchen

12.000.000 MWh

Gas Storage Facility RAG Puchkirchen, Austria

72 Hours

500 M

W


Development of the

Underground Sun Storage Project

• Motivation

• Gas Storage is Energy Storage

• Gas Storage is ‘invisible‘ and ‘available on demand‘-Energy

• Gas has an existing infrastructure in many regions of the world

• Gas can be greened from 0-100% without changing the system

• Goals of the Project

• Demonstration of Storability of renewable gases in Gas Storage

facilities

• Research on effects of 10% hydrogen admixtures in existing

Gas Storage Facilities

• Partners

6

WP: Work Package

WP

5: M

ater

ials

an

d

Co

rro

sio

n

WP 1: Project Management

WP

2 G

eoch

emis

try

and

R

eact

ive

Tran

spo

rt

mo

del

ling

WP

3: M

icro

bia

l P

roce

sses

in H

ydro

gen

Ex

po

sed

Res

ervo

irs

WP

4: D

emix

ing

of

Nat

ura

l Gas

an

d

Hyd

roge

n

WP

6: M

emb

ran

e Te

chn

olo

gy

WP

9: R

isk

Ass

essm

ent

an

d L

ife

Cyc

le A

sses

smen

t

WP

10

: Eco

no

mic

an

d L

ega

l An

alys

is

WP 7: Design and Construction of Testbed

WP 8: Testbed Operation



Results Lab-Experiments

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• Laboratory tests indicate no problems with storage integrity

• H2 Permeability in cap rock

• H2 Permeability in cementing

• No generation of H2S

• No influence of H2 on well completion materials

• Microbial activity verified

• Microbial consortia characterized

• Environmental circumstances defined

• Due to positive results start of worldwide unique field experiment

same range like

natural gas


• Selection of Reservoir

• Lehen-002 is very small and isolated

• Field experiments at reasonable costs and risks

• Conditions comparable to commercial RAG storage facilities

• Storage cycle with 10% Hydrogen admixture

• App. 1.2 Mio m³ injected

• Pressure range 30 – 78 bar

• Duration app. 10 months

• Material testing section

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WP 7 & 8: In-situ Field Experiment

Construction and Operation

10


Schematic View – Underground Sun Storage


WP 8: Balancing of Hydrogen

• 82% of H2 retrieved

• Rest has dissolved in reservoir fluids, migrated into cushion gas or was transformed

to other gases by microbial metabolism

• => In total calculation models allow the balancing of hydrogen. Majority of balancing

defizits arise for establishing a new equilibrium in the reservoir

Conclusion – Field Experiment

• No curtailment of storage integrity detected

• No H2S detected

• No decrease of permeability, no pore glogging

• Good analogy between lab-tests and field test

• Handling within the existing legal framework

• Open: operational and commercial effects

• Discovery of future potential


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Changes in gas composition


14

Microbiological Consortia (Orders)


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Follow up project 2017-2021

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Establishing a Sustainable Carbon Cycle

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High potential for the future

• Establishing a sustainable carbon cycle

• Seasonal storage of renewable energy

• Future use for existing infrastructure (grids, storages, appliances)

• Renewable gas for heat market and mobility

• Import of renewable energy to Europe as gas

• Decarbonizing despite missing production potentials


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Need for Future R&D, Barriers

• Status

• Underground Gas Storage – storage option for seasonal balancing

• Each one with its individual characteristics

• Promising results for a single geological formation

• Need for further activities

• Pan-European assessment of storage facilities

• Long term effects?

• Assessment of commercial effects

• Underground Sun Conversion

• Project already ongoing

• Follow up to demonstrate a sustainable carbon cycle?



Underground Sun Conversion – Contact

• Stephan Bauer; Manager Power to Gas

(+43-50724-5377; [email protected])

• www.underground-sun-storage.at

• www.underground-sun-conversion.at

Thank you for your kind Attention!

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http://www.underground-sun-storage.at/












underground sun storage - etip snet

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