CAT and energy company collaborate on hydrogen fuel heat and power system

The companies are working together for the testing and demonstration of a combined heat and power system. Caterpillar has launched a three-year energy project in Minnesota and has partnered with District Energy St. Paul for the testing and demonstration of a combined heat and power (CHP) system powered by hydrogen fuel. The hope is that if all goes well, the collaboration will lead to new H2-powered energy efficient engines. According to Caterpillar, CHP systems offer both heat and electricity simultaneously. This makes it possible to boost efficiency overall while slashing greenhouse gas emi…

The companies are working together for the testing and demonstration of a combined heat and power system.

Caterpillar has launched a three-year energy project in Minnesota and has partnered with District Energy St. Paul for the testing and demonstration of a combined heat and power (CHP) system powered by hydrogen fuel.

The hope is that if all goes well, the collaboration will lead to new H2-powered energy efficient engines.

According to Caterpillar, CHP systems offer both heat and electricity simultaneously. This makes it possible to boost efficiency overall while slashing greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon emission reduction is only magnified by powering the system with hydrogen fuel. “Caterpillar is focused on supporting our customers with reliable, sustainable power solutions,” said Caterpillar group president of Energy and Transportation Joe Creed. “This hydrogen demonstration project will enable us to evaluate additional hydrogen fuel options for an existing energy-efficient engine, providing even more possibilities for helping our customers meet their climate-related goals and objectives.” In order to conduct an assessment of a CHP system powered by H2 under real-world operating conditions, the heat and electricity from the demonstration project will be worked into the thermal and electrical infrastructure from District Energy St. Paul.

The hydrogen fuel powered technology is meant to reduce the carbon emissions from heat and electricity.

District Energy St. Paul is a nonprofit utility distributes both cooled and hot water for heating and cooling buildings as well as single-family homes in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota and the surrounding area.[aweber listid="6179904" formid="1469020671" formtype="webform"] The partnership is slated to start in 2023. It has received its funding in part from the US Department of Energy (DOE), and it is also backed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Caterpillar will be providing the project with a 1250 KW generator set that will be powered 100 percent by hydrogen fuel, including renewable H2. The generator is available on a designed-to-order basis. It also has commercially available power generation solutions from 400 kW to 4.5 MW and can be configured for operations on natural gas combined with as much as 25 percent H2 to help to reduce the carbon output it emits.