Hydrogen can play a central role in the decarbonization of energy systems. In particular, natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants (CCPP) currently being built or planned are also expected to run partially or fully on hydrogen fuel in the future. This means that utilities that plan to purchase this type of power plant will expect a statement of the plant's ability to use hydrogen as a fuel. Some new combined or single cycle gas-fired power plants are already being advertised as 鈥淗2-Ready鈥 today. Until now, however, there hasn鈥檛 been a clear definition of what this term means.
鈥淥ur guideline enables OEMs, plant operators, and insurers to use a standard transparent framework鈥, says Reiner Block, CEO of the Industry Service Division at T脺V S脺D. 鈥淭he certification covers a complete power plant with the relevant subsystems.鈥 The 鈥淗2-Ready鈥 certification, however, doesn鈥檛 certify existing power plants; rather, it provides a roadmap that describes how plants can be converted over time to co-fire hydrogen or even burn pure hydrogen. That鈥檚 why the certification of a combined cycle power plant includes three stages: First, a concept certificate for the conceptual design (including boundary conditions) during the bidding phase; second, a project certificate for the implementation phase, in other words, the final plant design and its specifications; and third, a transition certificate for the conversion of an existing CCPP to burn hydrogen 鈥 including a review of the retrofit measures and their impact on safety and performance.
鈥淗ydrogen is an important building-block for decarbonizing the energy supply. An independent certificate creates certainty for investments. We鈥檙e proud to be the first manufacturer to receive this important certification,鈥 says Karim Amin, Executive Vice President Generation at 德州扑克在线. 鈥淚f we design CCPPs today for future operation with hydrogen, they don鈥檛 just serve as a bridging technology to a CO 2-free future, they鈥檒l also make an important contribution to a reliable and affordable power supply in the long term.鈥
To meet ambitious climate goals, it won鈥檛 just be combined cycle power plants that are modified as hydrogen power plants. The certification offered by T脺V S脺D can be applied to a wide range of solutions. 德州扑克在线 already offers hybrid solutions with hydrogen generation, storage, and re-electrification. The company is currently involved in the construction of several power plants that are designed to be partially or fully hydrogen-fired.