Project Mobius Washington Innovation for Sustainable Energy

APPENDIX

Policy and Regulatory Analysis & 1 Pager for Policy Maker

The technology of power-to-gas (P2G) involves splitting water into its constituents,hydrogen and oxygen gas, utilizing electricity. This is known as electrolysis and iscompleted by an electrolyser. The oxygen gas can be used for various industries,including cancer and wastewater treatment. The hydrogen can be used for rocketfuel, superconductivity research, but more importantly, hydrogen fuel-cell vehi-cles (FCV). These vehicles produce no CO2 emissions, and their only by-productis water. The average range of FCVs is around 300 miles per tank fill [6].

Strict codes slow the installation of hydrogen production systems and they areprovided by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), Occupational Safety andHealth Administration (OSHA) and the Compressed Gas Association (CGA). Manyof the impedances can be mitigated by streamlining the permitting process forimplementation of hydrogen production systems.

Another issue preventing large-scale adoption of P2G stations is the expensivecost of installing the system. On average, the electrolyser alone is over one mil-lion dollars. This does not include the storage, compression for fueling and anyassociated electronics to run the system which can exceed $500,000. This pricingalone is for systems that provide relatively low amounts of hydrogen gas. Invest-ment into Washington’s Clean Energy Fund is a clear solution to advancing thedevelopment, demonstration and deployment of clean energy technologies. In2013, Washington State Legislature approved $76 million for the fund. In 2016,they approved over $100 million in funds to invest in clean energy. The grantsavailable to electric utilities sums to an invested $14.3 million since 2013 in smartgrid projects alone. This represents more than $35 million in total investment byWashington State’s largest electric utilities [4].

Washington Legislature will match funds from an industry partner, making thisan ideal solution for local utility companies such as Avista. This for example,could translate to the state paying for half of a proposed P2G station, cutting thereturn on investment for a system in half. Furthermore, currently in-committeeis House Bill 1646 (HB 1646) which states that it will “promote an equitable cleanenergy economy by creating a carbon tax that allows clean investment in cleanenergy, clean air, healthy forests, and Washington’s communities” [9]. SupportingHB 1646, as well as increasing the budget of the Clean Energy Fund has thepotentiality of creating a much larger commercial market for hydrogen and cleanenergy within the State of Washington.

2017-18 Hydrogen Student Design Contest 34

PROJECT     MOBIUS

R E V I V I N G T H E S P I R I T O F T H E ’74

W O R L D ’ S F A I R

H Y D R O G E N P O W E R T O G A S S Y S T E M

Hydrogen: Why it Matters

Hydrogen gas is readily available and has applications

ranging across multiple industries. H2 gas can be used to:

• Fuel automobiles

• Aid in heating homes

• Electricity generation and storage

• Make fertilizer

Such a versatile gas has gone under-utilized in our modern

world.  Hydrogen gas is relatively cheap to produce as well,

costing only the price of the energy used to extract it.

Hydrogen has advantages over other fuel sources:

• Non-Toxic Gas

• Availability

• Green! Zero Emissions

• Low production cost

Benefits:

• Cleaner air for future generations

• Investment in growing industry

• 

QUESTIONS?

https://www.avistacorp.com

CONTACT US

Phone: 800.227.9187

Fax: 800.227.9160

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                           How it works

How Hydrogen Gas is Made:

 Hydrogen makes up a huge percentage of all matter in the universe. The largest source of hydrogen on earth is in water. Through a process called electrolysis hydrogen is separated from oxygen in water, and hydrogen gas is created. To make electrolysis work both a membrane and electricity are required. 

Electricity and Power

Power for the system is generated by a nearby hydroelectric generator.  This generator is usually only used during peak flow seasons and therefore goes underutilized. By attaching the P2G system to the generator we can make use of the water that is naturally flowing.  

Gas Transportation

To make use of the gas it must be trucked off to locations that require hydrogen. A semi-truck equipped with a large storage tank can haul 280kg of hydrogen anywhere in Washington. To get put into the truck hydrogen must be compressed. There is a compressor attached to the hydrogen producing electrolizer which compresses the gas to 200 bar, which is nearly 200 times normal atmospheric pressure. 

Spirit of the ’74 World’s Fair

In 1974 Spokane was host to the first environmental themed worlds fair. This marked a landmark movement by the United States and the world to make a switch to more sustainable energy sources. The fair was hosted in riverfront park, where the PTG system is located.

Sustainability is at the heart of hydrogen technologies. This power to gas system will be the first of its kind in Washington. Spokane is building upon its legacy of environmental awareness.

Safety

When designing a power to gas system, safety is the number one concern. To ensure the system is operating normally, there are extensive safety controls in place which are constantly monitoring namely the pressure and temperature. This guarantees that if anything is happening out of the ordinary, production is immediately stopped, and an operator is notified.

In many ways, hydrogen is safer that the fuels commonly used today. It is non-toxic, non-polluting, and may be safely vented into the atmosphere in the case of a leak. When compared to fuels widely used today, hydrogen is more safely created, stored, and transported, and is consumed with virtually no impact to the environment.