Honda will begin testing its zero emission fuel cell power station on its corporate campus in Torrance in California in the early 2023, according to the company.
The fuel cell system is expected serve as a proof of principle for the backup power generation technology with the hopes of becoming commercially viable. Honda indicated that the system will be used to backup a data centre.
The power station uses components from the Honda Clarity fuel cell vehicles. It can generate up to 1152kW-DC/1MW–AC from an inverter.
Honda indicated that it will be studying the power supply, as well supply chain development, grid access, construction specifications and AC/DC connection requirements.
Fuel cell power stations based on renewable energy could be used to replace diesel-powered generators and provide backup power.
The potential to decarbonize difficult-to-carbonize sectors like shipping and heavy industry by producing hydrogen from renewable energy via electrolysis is a great opportunity. However, the limited availability of electrolyzers is a significant barrier to green hydrogen production.
In the U.S., $9.5 billion for green hydrogen hubs and electrolysis manufacturing programs was included in the Bipartisan Infrastrastructure Law. According to the Biden administration, it hopes to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen to one dollar per kilogram within a decade. Only 5% of hydrogen produced in the United States is made up by green hydrogen, with the rest being made up of natural gas.
The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that the market for green hydrogen will grow to 100 MMT/yr, with 1,000 GW of electriclyzer capacity.
DOE determined that green hydrogen production must be scaled up by government policy, even though the U.S. has the necessary manufacturing capabilities.
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