Solar developer Obsidian Renewables has submitted a plan to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for support of a hydrogen network in the Northwest powered entirely by renewable electricity.
The Obsidian Pacific NW Hydrogen Hub will leverage private funding with $700m of DOE money for its multi-billion dollar project, according to a press release.
The developer released its complete proposed hub concept paper, which were due this week. The DOE is expected to respond with encouragement or discouragement letters in December before final proposals are due in April, 2023.
“The Obsidian Pacific NW Hydrogen Hub is proud to work with our partners to establish a reliable, cost-efficient, renewable energy source in the region,” said David Brown, senior principal and co-founder of Obsidian Renewables, in the news release.
The proposal is separate from another regional funding plan called the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub (PNWH2), which involves a coalition of members from government, academic, and private sector communities. That coalition did not release its concept paper.
Obsidian helped form a steering committee of over 30 members including Sumitomo, through its affiliate Perennial Power, Siemens Energy, Plug Power, Vestas North America, and SOLV Energy, according to the concept paper.
The complete plan envisions production, storage, transportation and consumption of hydrogen. Hydrogen is a versatile industrial feedstock and fuel that the hydrogen hub will supply to a wide array ofindustries such as agriculture, data centers, hospitals, ports, power plants and domestic fertilizer producers.
Anchor sites in Moses Lake, Washington and Hermiston, Oregon, will use power from new renewable wind and solar power plants to split water in a process called electrolysis. These renewable energy sources will connect to a 400 MW electrolyzer capable of producing 175 metric tons of hydrogen a day at each anchor site.
The Obsidian Pacific NW Hydrogen Hub also includes a new hydrogen pipeline system to store, collect and distribute hydrogen to consumers across eastern Oregon and Washington, providing the lowest cost source of hydrogen across much of the Northwest.
“Replacing the fossil energy system is a massive endeavor,” said Ken Dragoon, Obsidian Renewables’ director of hydrogen development. “Our project produces hydrogen from local wind and solar resources that can’t otherwise make it onto the power grid, enabling them to do their part in decarbonizing fertilizer manufacturing, power production and transportation.”
