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New York-based Plug Power announced separate renewable
power-sourced, green hydrogen deals with French aircraft
manufacturer Airbus and Houston-based Phillips 66 aimed at helping
to decarbonize the aviation and industrial sectors,
respectively.
In partnership with Airbus, Plug Power will study how green
hydrogen can be used to decarbonize air travel and related
operations.
Alongside Phillips 66, the company will "explore ways to deploy
Plug Power's technology within Phillips 66's operations, leveraging
Plug Power's experience as a full value chain provider within the
hydrogen economy."
Hydrogen, especially the "green" variety produced from renewable
power sources, is increasingly being viewed as an alternative to
carbon-intensive fossil fuels because in liquid form it can be
transported in existing pipelines, in solid form it can be used in
fuel cells for automobiles or soon enough in aircraft, and it can
be used to produce steel and cement, two traditionally
carbon-intensive industrial processes.
As countries emerge from the pandemic and attempt to kickstart
their economies, companies like Plug Power offer industries a
low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. Plug Power provides a range
of solutions, from developing fuel cells to producing green
hydrogen and blue hydrogen, which is produced from oil and natural
gas facilities equipped with carbon capture.
Less than a month ago, Plug Power announced plans to build a 30
metric ton (mt) a day electrolyzer plant in California that will be
powered by a new 300-MW solar farm. In previous announcements, the
company said it intends to build plants in New York, Tennessee, and
Georgia. Combined, the facilities will have a total production
capacity of 500 mt/day by 2025.
Industrial uses will be the biggest driver of growth, as
hydrogen offers an option for reducing the carbon footprint of
energy-intensive processes such as making steel and cement.
The International Energy Agency expects green
hydrogen—splitting water molecules in an electrolyzer powered
by renewable energy—to eradicate 830 million metric tons of CO2
emissions produced annually when this gas is manufactured using
fossil fuels.
Plug Power wants to expand its green hydrogen footprint beyond
the commercial sector into the industrial sector through its
partnership with Phillips 66, which has 13 wholly owned and joint
venture oil refineries in the US and Europe. The company also owns
extensive hydrogen-related infrastructure and uses hydrogen in the
manufacturing of transportation fuels.
Under this partnership, Plug Power and Phillips 66 intend to
integrate and scale up low-carbon hydrogen use in the industrial
sector; advance hydrogen fueling opportunities in the mobile
sector; and further develop hydrogen-related infrastructure.
"Phillips 66 stands to help us meet our goal of producing 1,000
tons per day of green hydrogen while deploying cost-efficient
solutions within the renewable fuels sector," David Bow, Plug
Power's executive vice president of electrolyzers solutions, said
in a 13 October statement.
Plug Power's partnership underscores its commitment to
accelerating hydrogen infrastructure. Earlier this month, the
company said it was joining a host of energy, engineering, and
construction firms plus institutional investors to set up a €1.5-billion ($1.7 billion)
fund known as Hy24, which will finance large-scale clean
hydrogen projects and related infrastructure.
Airports
As part of the study with Airbus, the two companies said "Plug
Power will build deployment scenarios for green hydrogen
infrastructure at airports, while Airbus will provide insight on
hydrogen aircraft characteristics."
Airbus already has identified green hydrogen as "one of the most
promising solutions" as part of its goal to deliver zero-emission
aircraft by 2035.
Both Airbus and Plug Power already are independently testing aircraft engines using
green hydrogen. Airbus unveiled three concepts for its ZEROe
aircraft that would be powered by a combination of hydrogen-powered
fuel cells and combustion engines that burn hydrogen gas.
An airport right now requires ground transportation to shuttle
passengers to and from aircraft, aircraft tugs, and cargo trucks,
and fuel is needed to cool and heat the buildings. Traditionally,
these vehicles and buildings have consumed fossil fuels, but Airbus
said the use of renewable electricity-derived hydrogen can reduce
the "15-20 megatons of CO2" that are emitted each year from
airports.
Airbus launched its "Hydrogen Hub at Airports" concept in 2020
to jumpstart research into infrastructure requirements for future
hydrogen aircraft, as well as low-carbon airport operations.
The companies will select a US airport to serve as the first
"Hydrogen Hub" pilot airport in North America, serving as a case
study for hydrogen infrastructure scale-up at other airports.
Meanwhile, Plug Power is working with California-based Universal
Hydrogen to develop a 2-MW powertrain for retrofitting regional
turboprop-powered aircraft. Plug Power is using green hydrogen
produced at its own facilities to power patented fuel cells, while
Universal Hydrogen is providing the electric motors for the
powertrain and testing the entire assembly. Pending certification
and approvals from various agencies, the two companies plan to
demonstrate the viability of green hydrogen-fueled regional
aircraft as early as 2023 and begin commercial operations by
2025.
Posted 13 October 2021 by Amena Saiyid, Senior Climate and Energy Research Analyst
