Seattle City Light looks into renewable hydrogen fuel for Port of Seattle

The city is conducting two studies supported by two US Department of Energy awards.

With the funding support of two awards from the US Department of Energy (DOE), Seattle City Light is examining the potential of transitioning to renewable hydrogen fuel to reduce its carbon emissions.

Two studies will help to understand the feasibility of using clean renewable hydrogen power instead of fossil fuels.

The studies will examine the use of renewable hydrogen fuel for powering medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. They are being led by Seattle City Light, as well as Sandia National Laboratories and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The funding is supported by the DOE awards, which total $2.12 million. They are meant to help achieve the carbon emission reduction targets set by Seattle City Light and the Port of Seattle. Other partners on the research team include PACCAR/Kenworth and The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA). For more about hydrogen renewable energy companies.

“The impacts of climate change are evident across ecosystems and cultures around the world. The ability to incorporate clean hydrogen in our energy portfolio will be key to enabling the Port of Seattle and NWSA to meet our commitment to be carbon free by 2040,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Fred Felleman, who is also Managing Member and Co-Chair of the NWSA. “We thank our partners at City Light and the Department of Energy along with PACCAR/Kenworth for helping us to build back better together.”

The addition of renewable hydrogen fuel helps to diversify the Seattle City Light energy portfolio

Debra Smith, City Light General Manager and CEO, pointed out that adding renewable hydrogen fuel to the utility’s energy portfolio is a demonstration of how it is seeking to diversify the energy choices available to its customers.

“As our industry has evolved, so has the demand from our customers to meet their specific energy needs with sustainable and environmentally responsible power. It is more important than ever for Seattle City Light to collaborate with our customers who want to confront the climate crisis by decarbonizing their operations,” said Smith. “We are excited to partner with these agencies to implement a cleaner future for our customers at the port and our region as a whole.”

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