Ovonic Hydrogen Solid Storage Technology Overview

Hydrogen energy technology has been a part of our scientific work since our founding in 1960.

Hydrogen is the ultimate fuel. It is clean, efficient, and yields more energy per unit of weight than any other existing fuel. Because hydrogen is a major component of water and of hydrocarbons, it is in abundant supply.

We are developing a new, practical approach to storing hydrogen in a safe and economical manner. Using our proprietary, atomically engineered materials technology, ECD Ovonics has developed a family of new, efficient metal hydrides which store hydrogen in a solid metal matrix at low, practical pressures.

Proprietary ECD Ovonics metal hydrides are alloys that are specifically formulated according to new principles to absorb hydrogen much like a sponge absorbs water. When hydrogen is absorbed, it bonds to the metal alloy, releasing heat. Conversely, when heat is absorbed, the alloys release hydrogen to a fuel cell or internal combustion engine (ICE) which can subsequently power a broad range of commercial applications. By using ECD Ovonics atomic engineering principles, materials can be tailored over a wide range of pressures and temperatures to meet the performance parameters of a particular application.

Ovonic® metal hydrides offer an essential solution to overcoming the intermittency concerns of renewable power systems. Since metal hydrides store hydrogen at low pressure, they can accept hydrogen directly from an electrolyzer. Coupled with renewable sources, such as Ovonic multi-junction photovoltaic products, a hydrogen co-generation system can store energy in the form of hydrogen for later use when the renewable source is not available, or when extra power may be needed for load-leveling purposes.

Ovonic Hydrogen Systems LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.