Shimizu Corporation to source 1% of power at its innovation hub from hydrogen
Shimizu Corporation said it will meet 1% of the power needs of its innovation hub with hydrogen and has joined the "Hydrogen 1% Procurement Declaration" initiative.
Shimizu Corporation said it will meet 1% of the electricity used at its innovation hub with hydrogen. It disclosed that it is joining an initiative called the "Hydrogen 1% Procurement Declaration." The move is drawing attention as an example of a construction company incorporating hydrogen into the electricity procurement for its own facilities.
The announcement is notable for positioning hydrogen not only as an energy source for large power plants and factories, but as a means of supplying part of the electricity demand of buildings and facilities. It is an effort by a company to expand uses for hydrogen by taking the demand side itself, and it carries the significance of increasing the places where hydrogen is used.
Hydrogen is the lightest element. When burned or electrochemically reacted in a fuel cell, it produces only water at the point of use. For this reason, the fact that it emits no CO2 during use is expected to make it a means of decarbonization.
However, hydrogen rarely exists in large quantities on its own in nature, so it must be produced through methods such as reforming natural gas or electrolyzing water. The decarbonization effect differs greatly between hydrogen made by methods that emit CO2 during production and hydrogen made with electricity from renewable energy. Hydrogen derived from renewable energy is generally called green hydrogen.
A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by reacting hydrogen with oxygen, and the main byproduct emitted during power generation is water. There are also methods that burn hydrogen to drive generators or gas turbines. The equipment configuration and operating approach differ depending on which method is adopted.
Expanding large-scale use of hydrogen requires lowering production costs, building storage and transport systems, and securing consumers. Moves by consumers to use hydrogen themselves play a role in nurturing demand before supply networks expand.
The 1% figure presented in the announcement represents the share of hydrogen in the total electricity demand of the hub. Although the share is small, as examples of buildings powered in part by hydrogen increase, knowledge about design and operation will accumulate. The focus going forward will be how far the company expands its use of hydrogen at the hub and how widely other companies join.
Source: デジコン
This article was written by the editors based on the cited report and translated from Japanese. AI is used to assist in writing and translation.
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