Caterpillar Inc. recently announced its collaboration with District Energy St. Paul in Minnesota for a three-year project to test a hydrogen-fueled combined heat and power (CHP) system. The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting and partially funding the research, which is endorsed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
"Caterpillar is focused on supporting our customers with reliable, sustainable power solutions, This hydrogen demonstration project will enable us to evaluate additional hydrogen fuel options for an existing energy-efficient engine, providing even more possibilities for helping our customers meet their climate-related goals and objectives."
-Joe Creed, Caterpillar group president of Energy and Transportation.
Caterpillar's CHP systems supply both energy and heat at the same time, enhancing overall efficiency and lowering emissions. The demonstration project's electricity and heat will be integrated into District Energy St. Paul's electrical and thermal infrastructure to examine the feasibility of a hydrogen-fueled CHP system under real-world operational conditions. District Energy St. Paul heats and cools buildings and single-family houses in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, and the surrounding area with chilled and hot water.
The demonstration project, which is set to begin early next year, draws on Caterpillar's 35 years of experience with high-hydrogen fuel. The company has a 1250 kW Cat® generator set that can run on 100% hydrogen, including fully renewable green hydrogen. It also has commercially available power generation solutions that can run on natural gas mixed with up to 25% hydrogen, ranging from 400 kW to 4.5 MW.