pwr_july-2024 - 23

HYDROGEN AWARD
Bloom in an outline of the project told
POWER, " Scalable and abundant clean
hydrogen production from electrolysis
was previously hindered by a single variable:
the cost of electricity. It was therefore
imperative for our net-zero future
that hydrogen electrolyzers consume as
little electricity as possible to support the
financial viability of clean hydrogen.
" Bloom Energy met this moment with
promising results for the clean energy
economy of the future. Unlike conventional
lower-temperature electrolyzers,
such as proton electrolyte membrane
or alkaline, Bloom's high-temperature
electrolyzer generates 20-25% more hydrogen
per megawatt, demonstrating its
superior performance and commercial
viability. The demonstration at NASA's
Ames Research Center proved that the
world record-setting levels of electrical
efficiency achieved by the Bloom electrolyzer's
clean hydrogen production at
the Idaho National Laboratory's Dynamic
Energy Testing and Integration Laboratory
are also replicable in large-scale,
commercial
applications. Put
simply,
the demonstration represents a pivotal
moment for the future clean hydrogen
economy by cementing the commercial
viability of solid oxide technology's largescale
applications in industrial settings. "
Bloom officials told POWER the demonstration
at Ames Research Center is
distinct from its 100-kW demonstration at
INL, though it does build on the findings
from that project. The company said, " Specifically,
the INL project tested the efficiency
of Bloom's electrolyzer using steam and
load simulations that replicate conditions
found in nuclear power plant settings.
While that effort demonstrated a smallscale
installation of Bloom's electrolyzer
can produce clean hydrogen at a recordsetting
37.7 kWh per kilogram of hydrogen
and with 88.5% lower heating value to DC
[direct-current], the effort [at Ames] demonstrated
that same level of efficiency was
attained by a large-scale installation thanks
primarily to the strength of the product's
unique modular architecture. "
Solid Oxide Electrolyzer
Technology
Bloom said the success of the demonstration
at Ames supports continued deployment
of the company's Solid Oxide
Electrolyzer (SOEC) technology, which
it is using to develop green hydrogen-
hydrogen produced from renewable energy-around
the world in addition to
production in California, where the electrolyzer
is manufactured.
July 2024 | POWER
Bloom late last year announced a partnership
with Southern California Gas, as
that utility powers a portion of the California
Institute of Technology's grid with
hydrogen. The company told POWER:
" Blending existing infrastructure with
Bloom's SOEC technology and fuel cell,
we've created a microgrid to deliver resilient,
affordable, and clean power to one
of the Golden State's leading educational
institutions. Specifically, the project takes
water from Caltech's service line and runs
it through our electrolyzer using grid energy
to create hydrogen for injection into
Caltech's natural gas infrastructure before
ultimately being converted to electricity
for consumption around campus. "
A few months ago, Bloom and SK
ecoplant, an engineering and energy
solutions provider and subsidiary of
South Korean conglomerate SK Group,
announced a large-scale, 1.8-MW green
hydrogen demonstration using Bloom's
electrolyzer on Jeju Island, South Korea.
The demonstration will begin next year,
and aims to produce green hydrogen for
fuel to support the transportation sector
in conjunction with the Korea Southern
Power Co. and local governments.
Bloom Energy and Shell earlier this
year announced a groundbreaking decarbonization
study using Bloom's SOEC
technology. The collaboration aims to
develop replicable SOEC systems that
would produce clean hydrogen, potentially
for use at Shell assets around the
globe. Bloom told POWER, " This study
represents yet another pivotal moment
for Bloom as its hydrogen electrolyzer is
deployed by hard-to-abate industries in
search of solutions that can simultaneously
reduce carbon footprints and sustain
economic growth due to its world
record-setting efficiency. "
'Positive Outlook' for Hydrogen
Bloom officials told POWER the company
has a " positive outlook " for the
hydrogen economy, " in large part due to
the milestones met by development of
new, exciting, and more efficient technologies, "
including its SOEC technology.
The group also acknowledged that
government intervention and support is
likely necessary to support " meaningful
advances in this space. "
Sridhar noted the Biden administration's
recent decision to spur development
of seven regional clean hydrogen hubs
across the U.S., a " $7 billion investment
in clean hydrogen [that] reflects the federal
government's confidence that the hydrogen
economy can and will deliver a myriad
www.powermag.com
POWER POINTS
Winning Attributes
✔ Bloom Energy said " the milestone
project has set new efficiency
benchmarks for the energy sector
and brings us a meaningful step
closer to replacing fossil-fuel
derived fuels with clean hydrogen
in commercial and industrial
applications across the globe. "
✔ The project's timeline of being
" built, installed, and operationalized
in a span of two months, "
demonstrated the speed and ease
of deployment of the technology.
✔ Bloom said the 4-MW
demonstration proves that the
energy efficiency of its large-scale
electrolyzer is similar to the smallscale
system tested at the Idaho
National Laboratory, highlighting
the strength of its modular
architecture.
of carbon emissions reduction strategies,
perhaps none more important and pressing
than power generation. " Bloom Energy
is part of four of those hubs.
" We were honored that our products
and technologies were included in four
of the proposals submitted to DOE [the
Department of Energy] and we thank
[California Gov. Gavin Newsom] for his
leadership for securing nearly one-fifth
of available funding for projects in California, "
said Rick Beuttel, head of Business
Development at Bloom. " Our manufacturing
and technology teams in Fremont,
California, and Newark, Delaware, are
ready to help advance this program and
deliver on its promise. "
Sridhar said the project at Ames " is
a major milestone for reaching net-zero
goals " through the use of hydrogen.
" Hydrogen will be essential for storing
intermittent and curtailed energy and for
decarbonizing industrial energy use, " he
said. " Commercially viable electrolyzers
are the key to unlocking the energy storage
puzzle, and solid oxide electrolyzers
offer inherently superior technology and
economic advantages. Bloom Energy, as
the global leader in solid oxide technology,
is proud to share this exciting demonstration
with the world: our product is
ready for prime time. " ■
-Darrell Proctor is a senior associate
editor for POWER.
23
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