Now that the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub has received its first cache of cash, Douglas County is putting the finishing touches to its new hydrogen fuel facility, one of eight projects to be greenlighted by the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2) as part of Phase 1 of its plan.
The Hub received $27.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to use in the planning of regional production, storage, transportation and use of hydrogen fuel. It is the second of seven Hydrogen Hubs in the U.S. to receive funds (California was first). Over the next decade, the PNW Hub could receive up to $1 billion from the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act. That doesn’t count additional investment by the private sector, utilities and local governments.
Each of the projects across the Pacific Northwest will either produce or use “green” hydrogen fuel. As we all remember from science class, sending an electric current through water rips the hydrogen atoms from the oxygen. Oxygen then becomes the byproduct of the process, and the hydrogen can be used as fuel. If the concept scales as believed, it can potentially replace fossil fuels used in high-heat manufacturing, heavy-duty transportation and fertilizer production.
“PNWH2 is going to speed up our decarbonization efforts and the transition to a clean energy economy,” said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Washington, in a news release the day funding was announced. “I’m thrilled to be a partner in this fight with PNWH2 and can’t wait to see the incredible impact they have on our region.”
The trick, of course, is to create supply and demand at the same time, says Chris Green, president of PNWH2.
“When we convince others, by whichever means — by incentive or by some regulation — that they need to buy that product or should buy that product,” Green says, “we need to have enough supply for it, ready to go.”
Douglas County is counting on it. Several years ago, the county’s Public Utility District started looking at the potential of hydrogen fuel. They were so far ahead of the game that they had to get special permission from the state legislature to get permission to generate and sell hydrogen.
That vision is about to become a reality as the PUD nears completion of a five-megawatt electrolyzer that could begin production as soon as October. Using five gallons of water a minute, the new facility can produce enough fuel in a day for 350 cars. That doesn’t sound like much, but the facility is a proof of concept. If things go well, there are plans to build more electrolyzers and scale production.
The PUD will initially serve as its own customer. In May, Toyota awarded the utility district a grant to purchase four used Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Of course, the real target is heavy-duty transportation systems that use the state’s interstates and downtown streets. Hydrogen-powered semis and buses can greatly reduce carbon emissions across the state.
“In transit, you can buy hydrogen fuel cell buses now, many transit agencies are buying these, so that part of the value chain is prepared to produce that equipment,” Green says. “Right next to it would be long-haul trucking because there are fuel cell trucks you can buy right now.”