US based hydrogen fuel cell system developer Plug Power Inc., will build a green hydrogen production facility in California's Fresno County, calling it the 'largest' such facility on the US West Coast. It will be powered by a new 300 MW solar farm.
Solar energy generated will be used to power 120 MW of the company's 'state-of-the-art' PEM electrolyzers that will then produce 30 tons of liquid green hydrogen every day. Plug Power expects to start construction on site for the facility in early 2023, and bring it online in early 2024, provided all requisite environmental and construction permitting approvals are in.
Plug Power aims to supply 500 tons of liquid green hydrogen per day by 2025 through green hydrogen facilities in California, New York, Tennessee and Georgia, scaling it up to 1,000 tons a day by 2028.
The company said this network of plants in the US, once fully ramped up, will offer transportation fuel at prices competitive with diesel and will help decarbonize light-duty vehicles, freight-transportation, and logistics operations in the state.
Hailing the project's prospects for the state of California, California Air Resources Board (CARB) CEO Richard Corey said, "This will help support the state's target of carbon neutrality by 2045 or sooner, and continue to transition the transportation sector out of petroleum, including trucks that carry freight and cargo. That will benefit our most impacted communities including those located near ports, rail yards, and distribution centers." CARB operates under the State Government of California.
Green hydrogen, as the name suggests, uses a process to generate hydrogen using renewable energy powered electrolysis method that's gaining popularity as the world looks at solutions to deal with climate crisis.
According to IHS Markit's Research and Analysis Director, Global Gas, Alex Klaessig, "If Plug Power reaches its 500 mt/day goal in 2025, it would be producing about 2% of today's US output of about 25,000 mt/day."