Coupling of power-to-gas processes with underground gas storage could effectively allow surplus electricity to be stored for later use. Depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs could be used as stores, but practical experience of hydrogen storage in such sites is limited. Here we present data from a field trial that stored 119,353 m³ of hydrogen admixed to natural gas in a depleted hydrocarbon reservoir. After 285 days, hydrogen recovery was 84.3%, indicating the process’s technical feasibility. Additionally, we report that microbes mediated hydrogen conversion to methane. In laboratory experiments studying mesocosms that mimic real reservoirs, hydrogen and carbon dioxide were converted to methane (0.26 mmol l⁻¹ h⁻¹ evolution rate) reproducibly over 14 cycles in 357 days. This rate theoretically allows 114,648 m³ of methane per year to be produced in the test reservoir (equivalent to ~1.08 GWh). Our research demonstrates the efficiency of hydrogen storage and the importance of geo-methanation in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs.

将电转气过程与地下储气库相结合，可以有效地储存多余的电力以供以后使用。枯竭的碳氢化合物储层可用作储存库，但在此类地点储存氢的实际经验有限。在此，我们展示了一项现场试验的数据，该试验在贫化碳氢化合物储层中储存了 119,353 m ³与天然气混合的氢气。 285天后，氢气回收率为84.3%，表明该工艺的技术可行性。此外，我们报告微生物介导氢转化为甲烷。在模拟真实储层的实验室实验中，氢气和二氧化碳在 357 天内的 14 个循环中可重复地转化为甲烷（0.26 mmol l ^-1  h ^-1演化速率）。理论上，该速率允许测试储层每年产生114,648 m ³甲烷（相当于约 1.08 GWh）。我们的研究证明了储氢的效率以及地甲烷化在贫化碳氢化合物储层中的重要性。