Better than a battery? Big Energy backs hydrogen for power storage

London

THE secret to switching the global energy system entirely to renewables may lie in the universe's most abundant substance.

Hydrogen has drawn backing from big energy companies from Royal Dutch Shell Plc to Uniper SE in addition to carmakers BMW AG and Audi AG. They're supporting research into how the element can be used to store energy for weeks or even months beyond what lithium-ion batteries can manage.