To meet the region's massive electricity needs in a state that increasingly demands more action to meet emissions goals, the city of Los Angeles is planning a transition to a renewable energy that has never been tried before: hydrogen. The new facility will replace a coal-fired power plant and if it succeeds it could be a model for other communities and industries. LA’s utility believes that going with clean-burning hydrogen is the right thing to do, not just to appease local climate activists, but also because there doesn’t seem to be any other way to get to 100% renewable without hydrogen, according to the Department of Water and Power’s General Manager Marty Adams.
The new plant is slated to open in five years, with turbines that can burn a mix of 70% natural gas and 30% hydrogen, gradually advancing to 100% hydrogen by 2045. It’s garnered support from Mayor Eric Garcetti, who plans to close down three of the city’s four local gas plants in his effort to drive Los Angeles toward more renewable energy.
Technology is the key. |
The city will need to figure out how to keep the power grid up and running without natural gas. Renewable hydrogen is generated by using renewable energy to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. It’s a small but growing market, with just 253 megawatts of renewable hydrogen projects deployed over the last two decades, according to research from Wood Mackenzie. But increasing demand for cleaner transportation and industrial fuels will hopefully encourage producers to ramp up their efforts, eventually leading to lower production costs.
But, the daunting fact remains that no one has actually ever built a hydrogen power plant. LA’s Department of Water and Power is looking for someone with the know-how to upgrade and replace turbines as hydrogen power technology advances and who can meet the goal of 100% renewable hydrogen by 2045. Adding to the complexities of the transition, Utah’s Intermountain Power Agency, which owns the power plant and it’s nearly 500-mile transmission line, will have to buy-in to the plan and commit to the clean energy needed for the process. They’d be the first to develop an entirely new system in a notoriously conservative industry.
But, if the utility and the city succeed, they’ll show the way for renewable hydrogen to replace fossil fuels in other industrial processes like steel and cement manufacturing, to power electric vehicles, or even to replace natural gas for heating. It’s a vision worthy of an earthshot.
But, the daunting fact remains that no one has actually ever built a hydrogen power plant. LA’s Department of Water and Power is looking for someone with the know-how to upgrade and replace turbines as hydrogen power technology advances and who can meet the goal of 100% renewable hydrogen by 2045. Adding to the complexities of the transition, Utah’s Intermountain Power Agency, which owns the power plant and it’s nearly 500-mile transmission line, will have to buy-in to the plan and commit to the clean energy needed for the process. They’d be the first to develop an entirely new system in a notoriously conservative industry.
But, if the utility and the city succeed, they’ll show the way for renewable hydrogen to replace fossil fuels in other industrial processes like steel and cement manufacturing, to power electric vehicles, or even to replace natural gas for heating. It’s a vision worthy of an earthshot.