Home Depot to build zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell powered Dallas distribution center

Home Depot to build zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell powered Dallas distribution center

February 18, 2021 0 By Angie Bergenson

The home improvement retailer is expanding on its sustainable delivery network with H2.

Home Depot has announced a new 1.5 million square foot distribution center coming to Dallas, Texas, which will feature Plug Power zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell systems.

The use of H2 is part of the retailer’s massive $1.2 billion investment into its NA delivery network.

Through this move, Home Depot is leveraging the value and environmental advantage offered by using zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell technology within its distribution strategy. The new Dallas facility is meant to help meet the needs of its customers, which has greatly evolved over the last year due to the pandemic. Customers have been leaning much more heavily on online and curbside pickup orders.

Plug Power will provide the H2 systems to power the material handling fleets at the facility, as is the case at other Home Depot centers in North America. This will include storage and compression equipment, GenFuel hydrogen dispensers, as well as the green H2 fuel itself.

The new zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell system aligns with Home Depot’s existing commitments.

Home Depot has openly committed to reducing the environmental footprint associated with its supply chain and operations over the last several years. Within that sustainability strategy, an essential component has been the deployment of FCEVs such as forklifts powered by H2 instead of lead-acid batteries.

According to the retailer’s own data, each 100 fuel-cell-powered vehicle fleet deployment results in an electricity consumption reduction of 1 million kWh. Moreover, it also slashes its CO2 emission production by 400 metric tons every year. The use of the Plug Power GenFuel hydrogen infrastructure at the new Dallas distribution center spotlights the company’s intentions toward long-term sustainability through the use of hydrogen fuel in the material handling market worldwide.

Plug Power and Home Depot have been working together in their growing zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell partnership for several years. The new facility will bring an estimated 1,500 new jobs to the zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell - Dallas skylineDallas-Fort Worth areas. This will clearly be welcome news to the local retail sector, which – like similar sectors virtually worldwide – have faced extreme challenges due to the pandemic crisis.

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