Invenergy’s first green hydrogen project uses Ohmium electrolyser

In the U.S. state of Illinois, renewable energy company Invenergy is launching a green hydrogen project that will be co-located with a solar farm.

The Sauk Valley Hydrogen Project, which will be Invenergy’s first green hydrogen development, will utilize a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser from manufacturer Ohmium and is estimated to generate up to 52 tonnes of hydrogen per year.

The station, which is expected to be completely operational by the end of 2022, will be able to feed hydrogen to Invenergy’s 584MW gas-fired power plant, while its loading capacity will allow any excess hydrogen to be transferred and used offsite.

Invenergy, based in Chicago, stated that the project will demonstrate the possibility of Ohmium green hydrogen generation in conjunction with a solar power plant.

“Green hydrogen is an innovative, carbon-free solution that enables the decarbonization of all economic sectors through clean energy. According to Matt Nicholls, vice president of origination for novel technologies at Invenergy, “green hydrogen projects may scale swiftly and effectively to megawatt and gigawatt applications.”

Elsewhere in the United States, Green Hydrogen International plans to build a 60GW solar- and wind-powered green hydrogen center in Texas.

The United States Department of Energy has just allocated $504 million for a green hydrogen project in Utah that will use renewable energy to power a 220MW electrolyser.

Invenergy has recently created a community solar-focused joint venture with investment platform Lafayette Square, having obtained a $3 billion investment from alternative asset manager Blackstone earlier this year.