Hydrogen

Longi and Sungrow both announced solid financial results last week. Module maker China Solar delayed the resumption of trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, and polysilicon producer GCL-Poly unveiled plans to raise up to $16.8 million by issuing shares. Coal miner Baofeng Energy, meanwhile, announced the construction of what it claims will be the world’s largest PV-powered hydrogen plant, and Seraphim and Lu’An Solar revealed that they will open a 5 GW PV panel factory in China’s Jiangsu province.

While utilities, municipalities and states across the U.S. struggle to find a cost-effective way to get to 100% carbon-free power, some companies, like Wärtsilä North America, think that the answer is closer than we realize.

German industrial giants Uniper and Siemens are working together to advance the use of green hydrogen and replace conventional, gas-fired hydrogen production plants.

Also in the brief: The $400 million, 500 MW PV project in Oman, Tampa Electric Company is looking to double its solar capacity, New York passes renewable siting legislation and more.

Electrolyzer manufacturers are in agreement on the goal of rapidly reducing investment costs, mainly through economies of scale. Some are embracing large units, while others are betting on quantity over size. The first approach is attractive for operators of large PV plants, while the latter is better suited to operators of small systems.

Compressed hydrogen is “the first viable option” to help meet wintertime electricity demand in a high-renewables grid, says DNV GL, a global consulting firm.

Two solar firms have helped launch an industry group promoting green hydrogen, which is produced using solar or wind power. The group backs a Utah project that would use 30% green hydrogen in 2025 and 100% green hydrogen by 2045.

The Orlando Utility Commission will not only be adding 149 MW of solar projects to its generation portfolio, but is also developing a first-of-its-kind hydrogen storage project, with the hope it can be PV’s perfect partner in the future.

The International Renewable Energy Association says the integration of hydrogen into the energy transition will not happen overnight and electrolysis costs will not be halved until the 2040s. But that hydrogen and related products could revolutionize the world energy landscape is not in doubt.

An MOU was signed by Mitsubishi and Magnum Developers in Utah to develop a 1,000 MW power facility at underground salt caverns in Utah that can be used to store renewable hydrogen and compressed air, while also deploying flow batteries and solid oxide fuel cells at the site.