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GAS POWER
Gas Turbine and Hydrogen
Technologies Grow Together
The future of gas turbines and hydrogen are intricately intertwined. Gas turbine
manufacturers know that they need their equipment to be ready to operate on
higher levels of hydrogen as electrolysis technology advances, production projects
come online, and clean hydrogen becomes more readily available to help end-users
decarbonize their power systems.
Aaron Larson
I
n May 2023, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) proposed
five separate actions under Section
111 of the Clean Air Act addressing
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
from fossil fuel-fired electric generating
units. Among the actions were
proposed emission guidelines for GHG
emissions from the " largest, most frequently
operated existing stationary
combustion turbines " and a solicitation
for comments on approaches for emission
guidelines for GHG emissions for
the remainder of the existing combustion
turbine category.
Within the 181-page proposed rule
published in the Federal Register is
a best system of emission reduction
(BSER) pathway that would require the
co-firing of 30% (by volume) low-GHG
hydrogen in baseload gas turbine units
by 2032, ramping up to 96% by volume
by 2038. While EPA Administrator Michael
Regan on Feb. 29, 2024, indicated
the agency would drop requirements
covering existing natural gas-fired power
plants in its final Section 111 GHG
rule, which is expected to be published
in April 2024, gas turbine original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) understand
that developing greater hydrogen
co-firing capabilities in their gas turbines
remains a critical need, as it is possible
such requirements could be stipulated
at some point in the future.
Furthermore, GHG regulations are
not solely a U.S. priority. Many other
countries are also working on measures
to decarbonize their energy systems
and could impose regulations
that OEMs will need to help plant
owners meet. Therefore, research and
development (R&D) on advanced combustion
systems allowing up to 100%
firing of hydrogen in gas turbines is a
goal for virtually all of the major gas
turbine OEMs.
18
Hydrogen Supplies Expected to Grow
In January, experts from Siemens Energy,
Mitsubishi Power, and GE Vernova,
among others, gathered on stage at
POWERGEN International in New Orleans,
Louisiana, for a Mega Session
titled " The Decarbonization Journey for
Dispatchable Gas Turbines-2032 and
Beyond. " Bobby Noble, program manager
for Gas Turbine R&D with EPRI,
moderated the session, which included
presentations given by Jason Jermark,
vice president-Global Services Operations,
Gas Services, Siemens Energy;
Ben Thomas, senior manager, Hydrogen
Production Engineering, Mitsubishi
Power Americas; and Jeff Goldmeer,
Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader,
GE Vernova.
Noble began the session by explaining
how regulations are behind at least
some of the actions OEMs are taking.
In Jermark's presentation, while not disagreeing
with Noble, he took it a step
further by noting how tax credit changes
and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in
the U.S., and carbon tax developments
in Europe and Asia, are also leading to
expanded interest in hydrogen.
" Hydrogen provides a nice alternative
to existing fuel sources, specifically natural
gas, " Jermark said. " It's very versatile.
It's very abundant. We have experience
using it. And, we're able to effectively
show it is possible to use it in a variety
of ways. For example, Siemens Energy
on the co-firing front, it's not well-known
across the industry, but we've been using
hydrogen in various applications for
over four decades now. "
Yet, when the topic of co-firing comes
up, Jermark said, the " elephant in the
room " revolves around supply. He suggested
that a few years ago he was
skeptical that enough hydrogen could be
produced to have a meaningful impact
on the power generation sector, but after
seeing the speed at which production capabilities
are changing, he sees how important
hydrogen could be in the future.
" The number of projects that have
been announced globally increased by
about four-fold in the last few years and
continue to accelerate, " he said. Specific
to Siemens Energy's capabilities, Jermark
referred to a new gigawatt electrolyzer
factory in Berlin that was officially
inaugurated last November. Siemens Energy
and Air Liquide expect a ramp-up to
at least three gigawatts by 2025 with potential
for more. The company estimates
that with three gigawatts of installed
electrolysis capacity, an average of
300,000 metric tons of green hydrogen
can be produced per year when operated
with renewable energies.
1. Mitsubishi Power says Takasago Hydrogen Park is the world's first integrated hydrogen
validation facility. It is divided into three sections: hydrogen production, storage, and utilization.
Courtesy: Mitsubishi Power
www.powermag.com
POWER | April 2024

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