Hydrogen Blend Used for Power Generation at New York Power Authority Plant on
Long Island Demonstrated Decreased Carbon Emissions and
Continued Reliability of Thermal Plant Operations
Cutting-edge Research Results Advance New York State’s Leadership on
Clean Hydrogen and Provide New Data to Inform State’s
Comprehensive Decarbonization Strategy
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) announced today, as part of a comprehensive decarbonization strategy, the results of a first-of-its-kind green hydrogen demonstration project, which showed decreased carbon emissions when using hydrogen blended with natural gas to generate power at the Power Authority’s Brentwood Small Clean Power Plant on Long Island. The demonstration project, led by NYPA in collaboration with EPRI, General Electric and Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is the first retrofit of an existing U.S. natural gas facility that enabled use of hydrogen blended with natural gas to power the plant and generate electricity. NYPA and its industry collaborators demonstrated that the plant was fully operational while safely using the hydrogen blend. The project informs New York and the power industry by demonstrating that hydrogen may be one valuable tool to help decarbonize power generation.
“The Power Authority is leading the way in New York by piloting new technologies that can help accelerate New York State’s clean energy transition and inform the power industry so that we can move toward a carbon-free economy,” said New York Power Authority Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “Decarbonizing the power sector will require a collaborative, multi-pronged approach, including the use of new technologies and additional renewable power resources. Today, NYPA is pleased to share the results of our hydrogen study with the industry and the public so that our key learnings can help illuminate future decarbonization efforts.”
While NYPA and other power companies already use hydrogen for equipment cooling, this project marks the first time it was tested as a fuel blend for use in electricity generation at a NYPA generator. In July 2021, the State of New York announced its intent to explore the potential role of clean hydrogen. Working with its collaborators, NYPA led a hydrogen fuel demonstration from the fall of 2021 to the spring of 2022, investigating the potential of substituting clean hydrogen—produced using renewable energy, including wind, solar, and hydroelectricity—for a portion of the natural gas used to fuel NYPA’s Brentwood Power Station in Suffolk County on Long Island. Under the project, NYPA demonstrated power generation utilizing blends of 5%-40% hydrogen with natural gas to identify and document any resulting impacts on GE’s LM-6000 combustion turbine engine and the unit’s operation. The project found that carbon emissions decreased as the amount of hydrogen increased.
In addition, at steady state conditions, the exhaust stack NOx, CO, and ammonia slip levels showed that emissions could be maintained below the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Title V Regulatory Permit using the existing post-combustion emissions reduction systems, with no known detrimental effects on the gas turbine operations. This result could prove consequential for power plant operators to begin testing and using hydrogen fuels—aiming to lower a facilities’ carbon output—with minimal or no required modifications to plant systems.
“EPRI and the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative are accelerating deployment of a full portfolio of clean energy technologies to support a net-zero future," said Neva Espinoza, EPRI Vice President of Energy Supply and Low-Carbon Resources. “As industry and government seek innovative energy solutions, NYPA’s hydrogen blending demonstration is uncovering new insights with implications well beyond New York.”
“As the most-experienced gas turbine equipment manufacturer with hydrogen and similar low-BTU fuels, GE is proud to collaborate with NYPA, EPRI, and many others to deliver this important demonstration project,” said Eric Gray, President & CEO, GE Gas Power. “Efforts like the Green Hydrogen Demonstration Project are vital to validate the important role that hydrogen can play in lowering carbon emissions from power generation while also providing reliable and affordable power.”
NYPA Green Hydrogen Demonstration Project – Reducing Carbon Emissions
NYPA collaborated with General Electric, the gas turbine equipment manufacturer which has significant experience with hydrogen and similar low-BTU fuels. GE assisted in the building of the state-of-the art hydrogen/natural gas blending system. EPRI’s Low-Carbon Resources Initiative helped design the project and served as advisors on the technical evaluation. Airgas supplied the renewable hydrogen for the testing. Sargent & Lundy was the original architect engineer of the Brentwood plant and provided engineering expertise as well as safety reviews, and Fresh Meadow Power developed the piping system that delivered the hydrogen to the GE-designed mixing skid and, ultimately, into the turbine. This cutting-edge research provides critical insights into the potential for blending clean hydrogen and natural gas, which is one potential use among many possible uses for clean hydrogen. This data provides more information to support continued broad and inclusive discussions about the future of clean hydrogen in New York and across the northeast region that will leverage the state’s commitment to achieving a zero-emissions electric grid and the area’s unique geographies and abundant renewable resources.
Specific key findings included:
- Reduced CO2 emissions - CO2 (carbon dioxide) mass emission rates (ton/hr) decreased as hydrogen fuel percentages increased, following expected trends. At 47 MWg (megawatt gross), CO2 mass emission rates were reduced by approximately 14% when using 35% hydrogen cofiring.
- Regulatory compliance - At steady water injection conditions, other emissions including NOx (nitrogen oxides), CO (carbon monoxide), and ammonia levels were maintained below regulatory operating permit limits, using the existing SCR (selective catalytic reduction) and CO catalyst post-combustion control systems.
- Reliable operation, asset integrity - Engine control was stable throughout the duration of the test and combustion equipment was in good condition before, during and after the test.
A summary of the project report is available here and the full technical report is available for purchase on EPRI’s website here.
“Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is very proud to lend our expertise in sustainable gas solutions – including renewable hydrogen – to support our customers as they develop new ways to meet climate goals and invent a cleaner, safer, more reliable energy market,” said Marcelo Fioranelli, Airgas CEO and Vice President, Air Liquide Group. “Airgas and Air Liquide share a similar commitment of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and are excited to see how hydrogen can be a strong, reliable driver of the energy transition in the power and energy sector.”
The project aligned with NYPA’s strategic VISION2030 priority to decarbonize its natural gas plants and was designed to test and demonstrate the feasibility of using new low-to-zero carbon technologies to help achieve zero-carbon emissions by 2035 (NYPA’s goal) and informs the state’s goal to have a 100% zero emission electricity sector by 2040. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA or the Climate Act) calls for an orderly and just transition to clean energy and economy-wide carbon neutrality. From new energy storage initiatives to expanding and upgrading transmission to piloting hydrogen use for generation, considerable progress is being made to transform New York’s power system to catalyze a clean energy economy.
The report details several of the challenges that would prevent ongoing plant operation using the blend, including volume of hydrogen required, little industry experience with blending, and restrictive code requirements.
Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, “As New York transitions to a clean energy economy, we are seeking to understand and explore all resources that may be available to lower emissions, especially in communities historically impacted by fossil fuel pollution, and decarbonize the power grid. Supporting innovation and studying hydrogen blending through demonstration projects like this is another example of Governor Hochul’s commitment to keeping us on the cutting edge of evolving solutions that will complement and enhance our comprehensive efforts to reach a zero-emission future. These research results provide insight and data that will inform our discussions and help advance our shared goals for a just and equitable clean energy transition.
Michael Cusick, Chairman, Assembly Energy Committee said, “Decarbonizing the power sector will require the use of new tools and technologies, and this green hydrogen demonstration project provides important information that will inform our clean energy transition. This report provides key takeaways to help guide the industry’s future decision-making as we plan for using technologies that will help us lower the state’s carbon footprint.”
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said, “New York is leading the path to reducing carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy. We are looking at all ways to decarbonize our environment and have a sustainable future. Low-carbon fuels may be part of the solution and this latest demonstration here in Suffolk County can help us as we make plans for our energy system to continue to meet the demand for electricity while we move toward net-zero emissions by 2050.”
New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.
About NYPA
NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter @NYPAenergy, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn.
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