ABB has been awarded two significant contracts by Plug Power Inc. (PLUG), a leading provider of turnkey solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, to supply the electrical systems for two new hydrogen plants in North America that are expected to produce a combined 60 tons of green hydrogen per day.
When used as fuel, green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy sources and emits no carbon.
The first plant, Project Gateway, will be located in Genesee County, New York. It will be North America’s largest green hydrogen production facility, daily supplying 45 metric tons of green liquid hydrogen to the northeastern United States, equivalent to 126 tons of gasoline and saving 14,000 tons of CO2 per year.
ABB will provide the complete electrical system, which will be housed in an ABB eHouse solution – a prefabricated, walk-in, modular outdoor substation that will house a variety of electrical, automation, and ancillary equipment that will provide site and process power. ABB’s prefabricated and pre-tested solution significantly reduces installation and commissioning costs and time.
Additionally, ABB will supply gas and air insulated switchgear, low voltage motor control centers, and auxiliary low voltage variable speed drives. Multiple motors will be driven in sync bypass mode using medium voltage VSDs. These drives, when used as compressor starters, provide smooth process control and minimize stress on equipment and utility loads by limiting inrush current and power demand during the process start. Plug Power’s state-of-the-art proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers will be used to electrochemically split water into hydrogen and oxygen using clean New York hydropower.
Plug Power’s second plant, Peachtree, in Camden County, Georgia, will produce 15 tons of liquid green hydrogen per day using 100 percent renewable energy and will serve customers throughout the southeastern United States.
The hydrogen generated will be used in the logistics and transportation sectors, allowing users to substitute it for fossil fuels in on-road applications such as heavy-duty freight vehicles and forklifts.
Hydrogen demand has increased more than threefold since 1975 and continues to grow. According to the International Energy Agency, green hydrogen is gaining unprecedented momentum at the moment, with the number of policies and projects expanding rapidly throughout the world.
