[ad_1]
BOISE, Idaho – The US Department of Energy awarded just under $ 14 million for an attempt to build a hydrogen production facility at a nuclear power plant in Minnesota with the help of a laboratory of nuclear research in Idaho.
The Idaho National Laboratory and Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy will work on the design and construction of the facility, most likely at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island nuclear power plant in Red Wing, Minnesota.
The project announced this week is part of the Department of Energy’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by using nuclear power to produce carbon-free energy. Vehicles using hydrogen fuel cells, for example, only produce water vapor and hot air as exhaust gases. Hydrogen could also be used in industry, such as in steel production.
Xcel Energy officials said they supply a large amount of wind power to customers. Officials said the Prairie Island nuclear power plant could produce hydrogen when wind power meets customer demand for electricity. Officials said the hydrogen would initially be used in the power plant, but could eventually be sold to other industries.
READ MORE: US officially quits Paris Pact to reduce climate change
According to its website, Xcel Energy supplies energy to millions of homes and businesses in eight states in the West and Midwest, and aims to be 100% carbon-free by 2050.
“We will now be the first company to produce carbonless hydrogen at a nuclear power plant using this technology,” Tim O’Connor, production manager of Xcel Energy, said in a statement.
The effort planned at the Minnesota plant will use a process called high-temperature steam electrolysis. Water is made up of three atoms: one oxygen and two hydrogen. The proposed project would use steam and electricity from the Prairie Island nuclear power plant to split water and separate hydrogen. The Idaho National Laboratory will assist with the technical aspects of the project.
The energy department said it hopes the result will be a functioning hydrogen plant capable of operating as a hybrid system that can also test electrolysis technologies.
“This is a game-changer for both nuclear power and the production of carbon-free hydrogen for many industries,” Energy Department’s Richard Boardman said in a statement. “It offers a view of the energy structures of the future, which will integrate systems to maximize energy consumption, generator profitability and grid reliability while minimizing carbon emissions.”
Hydrogen is abundant in the environment and is stored in water, methane and organic matter. The main challenge is to extract it economically and to be competitive in the market. Most of the hydrogen currently produced in the country comes from the combination of high temperature steam and natural gas.
WATCH: Ignoring science doesn’t solve the problem, climatologist says
Officials say nuclear hydrogen has the advantage of being carbonless. This is in contrast to fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil, which produce greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.
The Department of Energy says almost all of the hydrogen produced in the United States is used for oil refining, food processing, fertilizer production, or metal processing.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, the United States had 96 commercial nuclear reactors in operation at 58 nuclear power plants in 29 states at the end of 2019. They produce around 20% of the country’s electricity. Most reactors are decades old, and some find it difficult to compete economically with other forms of power generation.
[ad_2]
Source link