The first worldwide deployment of Bloom Energy’s high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzer was announced. Following the commercial debut of the Bloom Electrolyzer in 2021, the successful 130 kilowatt (kW) installation in Gumi, South Korea, further accelerates Bloom Energy’s efforts to create a hydrogen-fueled economy.
Bloom’s high-temperature electrolyzer is creating hydrogen more effectively on-site than low-temperature PEM and alkaline electrolyzers. The Bloom Electrolyzer uses less energy to break water molecules and create hydrogen since it runs at high temperatures. Because energy accounts for up to 80% of the cost of hydrogen produced by electrolysis, reducing power consumption improves the economics of hydrogen generation and aids adoption.
This new demonstration, which has been active at the Bloom SK Fuel Cell facility in South Korea since January 2022, is investigating electrolysis efficiency utilizing water as an input in an intermittency mode. The Bloom Electrolyzer is proving its capacity to pair with intermittent renewables like solar and wind by functioning successfully and efficiently in daily cycles.
With water as its input, the Bloom Electrolyzer is predicted to function at 46 kilowatt-hours (kW-hr) per kilogram of hydrogen (kg H2). When steam is employed, the electrolyzer uses considerably less power, requiring just 40.4 kW-hr/kg H2, resulting in even greater efficiency.
“The trust in our electrolyzer’s ability to provide feasible routes to attaining a net-zero, hydrogen-fueled future is a tribute to its widespread deployment,” said Deia Bayoumi, vice president, global product management, Bloom Energy. “This is an important step forward in our ambition to change the global energy environment and allow the hydrogen economy.”
South Korea’s plans to decarbonize its energy system and become a worldwide leader in the hydrogen economy in the future decades are aligned with this initiative. South Korea plans to replace fossil fuels with hydrogen as its primary power source by 2050, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, by investing extensively in new technologies and infrastructure to promote the production and acceptance of carbon-neutral fuel. Bloom Energy and SK eco plant are well-suited to accelerate South Korea’s energy transition due to their ability to grow hydrogen production quickly.
“This newest collaboration is a testament to our shared aim to revolutionize South Korea’s energy environment and generate new value via innovation,” said Seoung-Hwan Oh, vice president of SK ecoplant’s hydrogen business. “Bloom Energy’s technology has shown to be unrivaled in terms of performance and efficiency, putting us even farther ahead in South Korea’s clean energy sector.”
