Amid a world that has been dominated by the conventional oil and gas markets for generations, a need to find the fuel of tomorrow has emerged. Hydrogen has emerged as the most pragmatic and viable energy resource to meet the demand for clean energy that has swept across the international energy market over the past few years. Wärtsilä has now revealed the world’s first utility-scale power plant that has been engineered to operate on 100% hydrogen, marking a new era of hydrogen-based energy generation.

Wärtsilä is aiming for an energy future that is powered by clean and renewable hydrogen

A major hindrance in the global market accepting hydrogen as a viable energy resource has been the inordinate costs associated with constructing the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen-based energy production. Now, Wärtsilä has taken a major step in the global race to develop hydrogen projects with its utility-scale power plant that can be converted to operate entirely on hydrogen.

According to the IEA World Energy Outlook, in order to reach our collective net-zero emission targets by the end of the decade, 17 Mt of hydrogen will need to be available for use to reduce emissions at an acceptable pace. The outlook report also notes that renewable energy usage is set to double by the end of the decade, exemplifying the market’s proclivity for clean energy production.

“Scaling up renewables alone, however, is not enough to reach global net zero targets. Flexible power generation solutions, like engine power plants, are needed to balance fluctuating renewable energy sources. It is crucial that these solutions are futureproof and ready to run on sustainable fuels to fully decarbonise the energy sector. Wärtsilä is addressing this need through its new hydrogen-ready engine power plant, which can be converted to run on 100% hydrogen. The new engine power plant is a significant step beyond existing technology, which can run on natural gas and 25 vol% hydrogen blends.”- Wärtsilä spokesperson

Hydrogen will no doubt power our collective clean energy ambitions into the future

The engine platform that Wärtsilä has developed is the most efficient anywhere in the international energy market and reflects the company’s astonishing expertise in developing a turnkey solution for power plants to run on renewable energy resources. The Wärtsilä 31 engine platform connects almost immediately to the grid within 30 seconds from the start command.

With hydrogen-based energy generation becoming the latest trend for forward-thinking nations around the world, the sentiment is clear: hydrogen is the best and most practical form of clean energy production that does not rely on good weather conditions, such as solar and wind power. The embrace of the hydrogen sector has led to some astonishing advancements in hydrogen technology.

“We must be realistic that natural gas will play a part in our power systems for years to come. Our fuel flexible engines can use natural gas today to provide flexibility and balancing, enabling renewable power to thrive. They can then be converted to run on hydrogen when it becomes readily available: future-proofing the journey to net zero.” – Anders Lindberg, President, Wärtsilä Energy

Hydrogen is the most flexible energy resource in the renewable energy market

Hydrogen has emerged as the king of the renewable energy market and has come a long way since the concept was first introduced. Hydrogen can be produced in exceedingly cold weather conditions, as evidenced by recent developments in the Arctic. While some nations are turning to the solar and wind sectors to meet clean energy targets as well as reduce emissions, Wärtsilä has developed a turnkey solution for the energy market that is powered 100% by hydrogen. The world will need to adopt the new hydrogen-based engine platform to meet the collective clean energy ambitions of the market.

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