PENN VALLEY, PA — The long-anticipated “Hydrogen Economy” is now a reality in the U.S., growing steadily within the energy industry. This was the consensus voiced at the recent Appalachian Hydrogen & Carbon Capture Conference V, where industry leaders discussed how hydrogen can coexist with fossil fuels.
The conference, hosted by the H2-CCS Network and Shale Directories, highlighted the diverse size of companies involved in the transition to hydrogen and the various feedstocks and equipment used for hydrogen production.
Empire Diversified Energy emerged as a key player, choosing waste – specifically food waste and waste sludge – as their feedstock of choice. Bernard Brown, Empire’s Chief Operating Officer, revealed that each person generates around 1.5 pounds of food waste daily. Empire plans to convert this waste into hydrogen through an anaerobic digester at its waterfront site in Follansbee, WV. The facility will process 400-470 tons of waste per day, producing hydrogen, renewable natural gas, biochar, carbon black, and water.
The Port of West Virginia, part of the project site, will use the hydrogen produced on-site to power its short line railroad engines, trucks, and forklifts. Empire Diversified will also sell a portion of its hydrogen to US Energy for transportation fuels.
In addition, the Appalachian Hydrogen Hub, which includes various companies producing and utilizing hydrogen through different feedstocks, plans to store hydrogen underground. Currently, the hub encompasses 15 different projects across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.
Shawn Bennett, Energy and Resilience Division Manager for Battelle, a company within the consortium of ARCH2 (Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub), pointed out that the project will act as a springboard for hydrogen production, attracting more companies to the region and creating jobs.
However, the transition is not without challenges. Ken Thompson, President of Valtronics and Mustang Sampling, noted that analyzing hydrogen-natural gas blends presents difficulties such as enhanced fatigue growth in steel pipes and changes in blended gas composition in storage. Additionally, modifying chromatographs to handle hydrogen or RNG will take time.
Tim Reichwein, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with Lane Power & Energy Solutions, added that while there are options to store hydrogen and carbon emissions underground, constructing or preparing storage caverns is a time-consuming process.
Despite these challenges, the U.S. energy industry is forging ahead with its commitment to the hydrogen economy, marking a significant shift towards cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions.
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