California recently opened its 29th hydrogen station in California. By the end of the year, we’ll see more stations online, and even more in 2018.
More stations means more fuel cell electric cars. And more cars means more hydrogen being dispensed, especially renewable hydrogen.
In California, hydrogen is on a renewable pathway, just like electricity. At least 33% of the hydrogen sold today at these stations must be renewable.
Photo courtesy of ITM Power
With so much excess capacity on the California electric grid, and more being developed, there’s an opportunity to produce renewable hydrogen for transportation. But hydrogen can do much more – it is a high volume and seasonal storage medium, provides grid stability and serves other industrial purposes.
CaFCP members are showing how hydrogen from wind and solar power can be used for transportation and storage, here and around the world. Below are a few examples.
—Bill Elrick, Executive Director, CaFCP
- Toyota, in conjunction with other parties, began operations to showcase the use of wind-power to generate low-carbon hydrogen for fuel cell forklifts.
- ITM Power’s chief executive officer, Graham Cooley, describes how hydrogen stations can provide grid balancing and frequency control services as the passenger vehicle market grows. In a recent letter to California’s Public Utilities Commission, ITM Power discussed the significant role that renewable hydrogen can and will play in helping California achieve its climate and air quality goals.
- Hydrogenics is helping Sunline Transit Agency, a leader in fuel cell electric buses, build the largest renewable hydrogen station in the United States.
- Hydrogenics also entered in a strategic partnership to build the largest 100% renewable wind-to-hydrogen plant in North America, based in the Palm Springs area.
- Nel Hydrogen, which is helping building stations here in California, was awarded a contract to build three hydrogen stations in Iceland and produce renewable fuel. Nel will also design, construct and maintain an industrial-scale turnkey renewable hydrogen production plant in France that produces 110 MW.
- Researchers at UC Irvine’s Advanced Power & Energy Program, supported by Southern California Gas Co., are making hydrogen from solar power and injecting into the natural gas infrastructure to explore its storage capabilities.
- Energy Independence Now, in concert with other fuel cell and hydrogen stakeholders, will soon publish a road map for renewable hydrogen in California, including an overview of industry-identified barriers that exist in California.
- Air Liquide has made a commitment to produce at least 50% of the hydrogen necessary to energy applications through carbon-free processes by 2020.