Bloom Energy, Baker Hughes to explore hydrogen solutions

US upstream services company Baker Hughes and Bloom Energy envision joint pilot projects for low-carbon and hydrogen energy solutions within the next two to three years, the companies said May 5.

Both companies shared a vision of commercialising low-carbon power generation and hydrogen to advance along the energy transition pathway.

“The path to net-zero carbon emissions must include partnerships and collaboration,” said Uwem Ukpong, executive vice president of regions, alliances and enterprise sales at Baker Hughes.

Fuel-cell technology developed by Bloom Energy, along with the light-weight gas turbine technology from Baker Hughes, could yield greater efficiency and cleaner power generation for customers. On hydrogen, the companies said they would examine blending hydrogen with the natural gas stream as well as hydrogen produced on-site for industrial users.

“These efforts are geared toward accelerating the transition to the hydrogen economy,” they said. Pilot projects could be available by 2023, with full commercialisation to follow.

Apart from its role as a near-zero carbon energy solution, the US Energy Department has estimated that new uses for hydrogen in the energy sector could generate as much as $140bn in revenue and create some 700,000 jobs by 2030.