H2Tech - Q1 2021 - 5

 

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT

BLUE H2
Ekona Power gets $3 MM
to develop its blue H2 tech
Ekona Power Inc. has entered into a
convertible debenture with BDC Capital
that will help the company develop
its technology for low-cost blue H2
production. The convertible debenture
is valued at $3 MM.
Ekona's pulsed-methane pyrolysis
(PMP) solution converts natural gas
feedstock into H2 and solid carbon, virtually
eliminating CO2 emissions. Ekona's patentpending PMP reactor uses the principles
of pulse combustion and high-speed gas
dynamics to dissociate feedstock methane.
The reactor is low-cost, scalable and solves
carbon fouling issues that plague other
pyrolysis platforms.
Ekona is targeting industrial H2 and
natural gas decarbonization markets
for its H2 technology, and is seeking to
leverage new markets for byproduct
carbon that can further reduce its H2
production costs.

Haldor Topsoe,
Aker Carbon Capture
cooperate on blue H2 solutions
Haldor Topsoe and Aker Carbon
Capture signed an MOU to offer a
complete solution for low-carbon blue H2
production. The solution combines Haldor
Topsoe's H2 process and Aker Carbon
Capture's post-combustion carbon-capture
technology to achieve low-emissions, costeffective production of blue H2.
The EU foresees investments of
€11 B for retrofitting half of the existing
European H2 plants with carbon-captureand-storage systems before 2030.
Decarbonizing the existing H2 market by
adding carbon capture is key to unlocking
the emerging H2 market in Europe.
The two companies intend to enter into
a formal cooperation agreement in early
2021 and approach market opportunities.

U.S. DOE offers $160 MM
for blue H2 tech development

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
has committed $160 MM in federal
funding to develop technologies for
the production, transport, storage and
utilization of fossil-based H2 , with progress
toward net-zero carbon emissions.

Applicants to the funding
opportunity will aim to make significant
advancements in several program areas:
*	 Net-zero or negative carbon
H2 production from modular
gasification and cogasification
of mixed wastes, biomass and
traditional feedstocks, with the
objective of advancing gasification
technologies capable of improved
production of net-zero or negativecarbon H2 with integration of
pre-combustion carbon capture.
*	 Solid oxide electrolysis cell
technology (SOEC) development,
with the objective of developing
new or modified materials for
SOECs and improve understanding
of degradation mechanisms in
SOECs for efficient and costeffective production of H2.
*	 Carbon capture, with the objective
of completing the initial design of
a commercial-scale carbon capture,
storage, and utilization (CCUS)
system that separates and stores
more than 100,000 metric tpy of
net CO2 of 95% purity, with 90%+
carbon-capture efficiency, from
a steam methane reforming (SMR)
or autothermal reforming (ATR)
plant producing 99.97% H2 from
natural gas.
*	 Advanced turbines, with the
objective of advancing the
performance of gas turbine
combustion systems fueled with
high-purity H2 , H2 and natural gas
mixtures and other carbon-neutral
fuels (e.g., ammonia). An additional
objective is to demonstrate an
H2-fueled rotating detonation
engine in a gas turbine.
*	 Natural gas-based H2 production,
with the objective of developing
transformative natural gas
decarbonization technologies
to produce zero- or negativecarbon H2 to meet the needs
of future H2 markets.
*	H2 pipeline infrastructure, with the
objective of developing technologies
that improve the cost and
performance of H2 transportation
infrastructure, including pipelines
and compression stations.
*	 Subsurface H2 storage, with
the objective of developing
technologies to improve the
cost and performance of this
storage mechanism.

A. BLUME, Editor-in-Chief

GREEN H2
Siemens Gamesa,
Siemens Energy eye
wind-H2 tech integration

Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy
will fully integrate an electrolyzer into
an offshore wind turbine as a single,
synchronized system to directly produce
green H2. The companies intend to provide
a full-scale, offshore demonstration of
the solution by 2025/2026 as part of the
H2Mare initiative.
Over the next 5 yr, Siemens
Gamesa plans to invest €80 MM in the
development, and Siemens Energy is
targeting €40 MM of investment. Siemens
Gamesa will adapt its development of
the world's most powerful turbine, the
SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbine,
to integrate an electrolysis system
seamlessly into the turbine's operations.
Meanwhile, Siemens Energy will
develop a new electrolysis product to not
only meet the needs of the harsh maritime
offshore environment and be in sync with
the wind turbine, but also to create a new,
competitive benchmark for green H2.
The fully integrated offshore windto-H2 solution will produce green H2 using
an electrolyzer array located at the base
of the offshore wind turbine tower. The
solution will lower the cost of H2 by being
able to run off grid, opening up more
and better wind sites. The companies'
developments will serve as a test bed
for making large-scale, cost-efficient
H2 production.

NewHydrogen eyes
cost-reducing tech
improvements to electrolyzers
NewHydrogen Inc. (formerly BioSolar
Inc.) is exploring major cost-reduction
opportunities in H2 electrolyzers. The
main reason that green H2 is not used
everywhere is its high cost. The catalysts
used in the water-splitting reactions are
made from platinum and iridium, two
H2Tech | Q1 2021 5
H2Tech - Q1 2021

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