Duke Energy plans 100% clean hydrogen end-to-end system in Florida
Hydrogen

Duke Energy plans 100% clean hydrogen end-to-end system in Florida

Duke Energy said it will soon break ground on the first demonstration end-to-end system in the U.S. to produce, store and combust 100% clean hydrogen.

The system will be located at Duke Energy’s DeBary Plant in Volusia County, Florida.

It will use the existing 74.5 MW DeBary solar plant to power two 1 MW electrolyzers. The resulting hydrogen from electrolysis will delivered to nearby, reinforced containers for safe storage.

During times when energy demand is highest, Duke Energy said the hydrogen will be combusted in an onsite turbine that will be upgraded using GE technology to run on a natural gas/hydrogen blend or up to 100% hydrogen. The utility said this will be the nation’s first combustion turbine operating to run on such a high percentage of hydrogen.

Duke Energy said the unit will be commissioned on a variety of blends from 25-100% hydrogen. The turbine will be “fully capable of consistently combusting on said varieties as well as 100% hydrogen when placed in service,” the utility said.

Duke Energy, Sargent and Lundy and GE Vernova are all partners in the effort.

Construction of the demonstration project will begin by the end of 2023 and could take about one year to complete. Duke Energy anticipates the system will be installed and fully functioning in 2024.

Utility officials said the DeBary hydrogen system is part of its Vision Florida program. The projects in this program may include up to four Emergency Relief Microgrid projects, a floating solar pilot project at the Hines generating station, an investment in some form of hydrogen power and solar plus storage projects. Total costs for all projects would not exceed $100 million.

The hydrogen end-to-end system is not part of one of the seven regional hydrogen hubs selected by the federal government to negotiate funding.

“While it is disappointing that the Southeast Hydrogen Hub Coalition was not selected for Department of Energy (DOE) funding, Duke Energy remains hopeful that hydrogen will play an important role in our clean energy transition,” said a Duke Energy Florida spokesperson. “Duke Energy will continue to seek opportunities to partner with DOE, peer utilities, and other stakeholders to advance clean hydrogen in ways that will benefit our customers and our communities.”

Duke Energy has a goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040.

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