Bloom Energy is putting in a 240 kW electrolyzer at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island nuclear reactor in Welch, Minnesota so that the plant may generate hydrogen gas without emitting any harmful gases.
The goal of this demonstration project is to provide “rapid and scalable paths” for creating clean hydrogen at a reasonable cost, which will be an asset to nuclear power reactors. Bloom anticipates the electrolyzer’s construction to begin in late 2023, and operation would begin in early 2024.
Xcel’s 1,100-MW Prairie Island facility will provide high heat and steam for Bloom’s electrolyzer, the firms said, making it more efficient in producing zero-carbon hydrogen than polymer electrolyte membrane or alkaline electrolysis, which require lower temperatures.
