Siemens Energy reports that the first-ever industrial gas turbine to run entirely on hydrogen occurred in western France, opening the door for significant H2-based energy storage projects.

The 1MW Hyflexpower demonstration project, built by a team involving Engie, the German Aerospace Centre, and four European universities, at a paper facility in Saillat-sur-Vienne, according to the German business, achieved 100% hydrogen burn.

The project produces green hydrogen using a 1MW electrolyzer that runs on renewable energy. Green hydrogen is then stored in a sizable tank and burns later to produce electricity inside a gas turbine.

Siemens Energy said in a statement that “the Hyflexpower project demonstrates that hydrogen can be used as a flexible energy storage medium and that it’s also possible to convert an existing gas-fired
power turbine to operate using renewable hydrogen.” Therefore, it is a significant factor in hastening the decarbonization of the sectors using the greatest amount of energy.

Karim Amin, an executive board member of Siemens Energy, continued, “We will be able to better develop our entire gas turbine fleet in preparation for a hydrogen-based future thanks to the knowledge and experience we gained from the Hyflexpower project, where we installed the first gas turbine to run on 100% hydrogen.” It is now a matter of scaling the results once the interaction between electrolysis, storage, and hydrogen conversion at one site has been impressively proven.

Green hydrogen is predicted to be produced in the summer using excess solar power and used during the so-called “dark doldrums” of winter in order to provide electricity during extended periods of time when the wind and sun aren’t shining.

Turbines can be employed at a scale that would be difficult and costly for hydrogen fuel cells that produce electricity to duplicate, notwithstanding their relative inefficiency at converting potential energy into actual energy.

There are also worries that burning pure hydrogen in an atmosphere high in nitrogen may release a lot of nitrous oxides (NOx), which are indirectly greenhouse gases and hazardous to human health. However, this risk may be reduced by the employment of technology such as that used in automobile catalytic converters.

After putting Hyflexpower through its paces to produce electricity, the next step is to expand its capabilities to include producing industrial heat and other operational modes. According to Siemens Energy, there are also plans to investigate methods of commercializing and expanding the production of decarbonized electricity. — Tycoonstory Media