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Underground Sun Storage 2030

Green hydrogen made from solar energy will be pivotal to the energy transition

Building on its forerunner, the Underground Sun Storage programme, the Underground Sun Storage 2030 (USS 2030) research project, spearheaded by RAG, is converting solar energy into pure hydrogen by means of water electrolysis in a climate-neutral process. The hydrogen is then stored in an underground gas reservoir. In collaboration with high-profile partners in industry and the Austrian research community, scientific and technical testing are being carried out under real-life conditions at a small underground natural gas reservoir in Gampern, Upper Austria up to 2025. Alongside these experiments, the project includes the development of suitable processing techniques, modelling for future energy scenarios, and techno-economic assessments, as well as investigation of various potential applications.

„Storing hydrogen seasonally and in large volumes is the basis for a stable hydrogen economy.“