Caterpillar Inc. has gone on to announce the result of a fuel flexibility project along with District Energy St. Paul, which went on to demonstrate a 2 MW combined heat and power (CHP) system having a Cat G3516 gas generator set by way of using 100% hydrogen fuel.
It is worth noting that the hydrogen-fuelled CHP system went on to demonstrate maximum efficiency, which was consistent with high-performance generator sets that operated completely on natural gas. Partially funded as well as supported by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy under the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office, the project happens to be led by Caterpillar in partnership with District Energy Saint Paul as well as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NRL) of the DOE.
Apparently, the project objective was to assess the impact of solutions on local air quality and, at the same time, underscore the dependability along with durability when it comes to hydrogen systems. In order to fully evaluate every element of the hydrogen system by way of real-time, real-world operating conditions, power as well as heat from the demonstration project went on to be fed into the US’ Minnesota utility’s active distribution system. The system went on to use 100% hydrogen fuel along with 100% natural gas fuel for almost 200 hours with every fuel type.
According to the CEO and president of District Energy St. Paul, Luke Gaalswyk, as the technology in the industry continues to grow, they will require a range of fuels as well as energy sources in order to capture the highest function as well as efficiencies of such energy systems. He added that it has indeed been a very exciting and exhilarating experience for their team to help advance the data in terms of hydrogen usage along with a global leader like Caterpillar and, of course, in collaboration with NREL as well as DOE.
The senior vice president of Caterpillar in the electric power division, Melissa Busen, said that this kind of hydrogen-fuelled CHP system demonstration goes on to underscore their commitment in order to understanding their customers’ requirements and also delivering customized energy solutions, which will help them attain their objectives based on energy.