(Credit: New York Power Authority)
As part of a broader push to explore green hydrogen by New York to support the state’s overall decarbonization goals, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) is launching a first-of-its-kind green hydrogen demonstration project to investigate the potential of substituting renewable hydrogen for a portion of the natural gas used to generate power at NYPA’s Brentwood Power Station. New York is spending $8.5 million on the project.
Through its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York has a mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy-wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York’s clean energy investments, including over $21 billion in 91 large-scale renewable projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments.
Using a GE system, the green hydrogen project team will evaluate different concentrations of hydrogen blended with natural gas at regular intervals and will assess the blend’s effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and its overall system and environmental impacts, including nitrogen oxide emissions.
The project will begin in fall 2021 and is expected to last six to eight weeks. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is providing overall project design and technical execution. Other partners include Sargent & Lundy providing engineering and safety reviews, Airgas supplying renewable hydrogen, and Fresh Meadow Power providing piping and materials expertise and services.
New York’s multi-pronged green hydrogen strategy:
- NYSERDA led hydrogen study in conjunction with NREL.
- NYSERDA led long duration energy storage program, including up to $12.5 million in funding to support product development and demonstration projects.
- NYPA green hydrogen demonstration project.
- Participation in national and global hydrogen-focused groups, including the Center for Hydrogen Safety and the HyBlend Collaborative Research Partnership.
Green hydrogen is also being evaluated for its role in decarbonizing the power sector through the 5-year, $100 million Low Carbon Resources Insitivea (LCRI), which is being led by a partnership between the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). NYPA is a participating member of the initiative.