Summary
H2B2, a U.S. company based in Delaware, is a prominent player in the North American hydrogen industry. With its proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, H2B2 has brought to life one of the largest operational renewable hydrogen production facilities in North America – the SoHyCal project located in Fresno, California. Backed by a US$3.96 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) Clean Transportation Program, the project will fuel a transit bus fleet operated by the local transportation authority.
The SoHyCal project began commercial production on September 7, 2023, with an initial capacity of 1.2 metric tonnes (MT) per day using approximately 85.6 million British thermal units (MMBtu) of biogas as feedstock. The biogas is converted into electricity and subsequently into hydrogen through electrolysis.
H2B2 is currently in the process of expanding the facility by installing photovoltaic (PV) panels. The combined use of biogas and PV solar panels to generate clean electricity will be capable of producing 15 megawatts (MW) of power and 3 metric tonnes (MT) per day of renewable hydrogen – enough to fuel up to 210,000 cars in a year or 30,000 city buses.
Background
Hydrogen is an exciting new energy carrier that could have a big impact in decarbonizing energy-intensive industries. Conventional hydrogen production relies on fossil feedstock and steam methane reforming (SMR), a normal feature in many refining operations. H2B2, however, employs a modular approach for producing hydrogen through electrolysis powered by renewable energy. This ensures that the hydrogen it produces gets a negative carbon footprint under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (CA-LCFS).
Solution
H2B2 was unfamiliar with the nuances of complex regulations like the CA-LCFS, the IRA, and the RFS. H2B2 enlisted EcoEngineers (Eco) as its guide on the journey towards being a commercially successful clean hydrogen producer in California. Eco’s expertise in conducting life-cycle assessments (LCAs), determining project eligibility to enter various carbon markets, managing regulatory complexity, and selecting the right technology helped H2B2 successfully launch its project in September 2023. The project’s implementation involved Eco helping build and manage an ecosystem of partners that included Bar 20, CalBio, as well as the CEC to deliver a complete and robust application.
