SoCalGas and Bloom Energy powering Caltech with innovative hydrogen project

The project showcases how leveraging existing infrastructure with electrolysers and fuel cell technology may be able to create microgrids that deliver resilient power and can help to safeguard businesses, communities, and campuses from power disruptions. At scale, this technology may help further California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent strategic initiatives to develop a hydrogen economy.

“It is becoming clearer with each passing day that hydrogen can and should play a key role in California’s efforts to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Senator Bob Archuleta, Chair of the Senate’s Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy. “Moreover, I am excited to see Caltech, one of our nation’s leading institutions, serving as a testbed for the use of hydrogen with this new and innovative technology on their campus.”

"This collaborative effort represents a significant step in harnessing hydrogen as a resilient, clean energy solution that’s in line with Governor Newsom’s vision for California,” said Maryam Brown, President at SoCalGas. “Integrating cutting-edge electrolysers and fuel cell technology into existing infrastructure demonstrates the potential for building robust microgrids, enhancing power resiliency for businesses, communities, and campuses at scale.”

“We commend Governor Newsom and SoCalGas for their vision and leadership on the important work to develop the hydrogen economy,” said Greg Cameron, President and Chief Financial Officer at Bloom Energy. “As a California manufacturer of Bloom Electrolysers®, we are uniquely positioned to advance the goals of delivering clean and reliable energy in a post-carbon economy. We are working on a number of major opportunities to deliver our electrolysers to customers to help grow hydrogen as a significant energy source in the US and internationally.”

This project takes water from Caltech’s service line and runs it through Bloom Energy’s solid oxide electrolyser, which uses grid energy to create hydrogen. The resulting hydrogen is injected into Caltech’s natural gas infrastructure upstream of Bloom Energy fuel cells, creating up to a 20% blend of hydrogen and natural gas. All of this fuel blend is then converted into electricity with Bloom Energy’s fuel cells, and the electricity is then distributed for use on campus.

Blending hydrogen into natural gas infrastructure statewide – which could help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and ultimately drive down hydrogen costs by scaling production, first requires developing a hydrogen injection standard. The global hydrogen economy is expected to potentially produce as much as 80 gigatons of carbon abatement by 2050, which represents approximately 11% of required cumulative emissions reductions.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/18122023/socalgas-and-bloom-energy-powering-caltech-with-innovative-hydrogen-project/