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Toyota installs ‘first-of-a-kind’ fuel cell plant for electricity and hydrogen at California port
15/5/2024
News
Toyota Motor North America has installed what is described as a world’s first Tri-gen energy system at the Port of Long Beach, California. Tri-gen from FuelCell Energy uses biogas to produce electricity, hydrogen and usable water.
FuelCell Energy’s technology uses an electrochemical process that reforms natural gas or biogas into hydrogen, which then electrochemically reacts with air to generate electricity, heat and water in a combustion-free process.
Tri-gen produces 2.3 MW of electricity, part of which will be utilised by TLS Long Beach to support its operations at the port. Toyota Logistics Services’ vehicle processing facility receives some 200,000 new Toyota and Lexus vehicles annually. Excess electricity is delivered to the local utility. Tri-gen can also produce up to 1,200 kg/d of hydrogen for the fuelling needs of Toyota’s light-duty fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) Mirai while also supplying hydrogen to the adjacent heavy-duty hydrogen refuelling station.
The water byproduct of hydrogen generation can produce up to 1,400 gallons of usable water per day, which is being repurposed for TLS car wash operations.
‘The goal of our collaboration with FuelCell Energy was to find sustainable solutions for the TLS vehicle processing facility here at the Port of Long Beach as part of our goal to remove carbon dioxide emissions from our operations... with scalable technology based on hydrogen,’ says Group Vice President of Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Toyota, Tom Stricker.
TLS Long Beach is Toyota’s first port vehicle processing facility powered by on-site renewable electricity.
Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero adds: ‘The green power generated by the Tri-gen system, and similar projects, is part of our multi-layered strategy to fuel our goal to become the world’s first zero-emissions port.’
Another recent FuelCell Energy contract was for a 2.8 MW carbonate fuel cell to generate electricity (but not hydrogen) in a $140mn Ameresco biogas cogen plant for the Sacramento Area Sewer District at the EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility in Elk Grove, California.
