The primary goal of the pilot project is to gain operational
experience with the technology for making green hydrogen and how it can
be integrated most effectively into the local natural gas distribution
system to lower the carbon content of delivered energy.
The project’s one-megawatt electrolyzer is powered by renewable
electricity and can produce up to 60 Dekatherms (432 kilograms) of
hydrogen gas per day, using approximately two gallons of water per
minute. The water is sourced from the municipal water supply and highly
purified before it enters the hydrogen production system.
The green hydrogen produced by the system is added in low
concentrations, up to five percent, to the natural gas in a low-pressure
section of CenterPoint Energy’s
local distribution pipeline system. As a substitute for natural gas
that would otherwise be used, the green hydrogen is expected to avoid
approximately 1,200 tons of CO2 emissions per year.