Brenor Brophy, Plug Power, USA, looks back at valuable lessons learnt from commissioning and building a green hydrogen plant and reviews how they can be applied to future projects.
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enewables are now the least expensive way to produce energy, putting the dream of a cost-effective, carbon-free, energy-dense molecule within striking distance. Many companies across industries are now looking at producing green hydrogen. Demand for electrolysers, or even full-scale electrolytic hydrogen plants, is actively increasing. The problem is that few companies know what it takes to get a project done – especially at commercial scale. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the potenital of green hydrogen for decarbonising fertilizers, refineries, mobility/transportation sectors, and more. However, such projects are often complicated. Because Plug has built a liquid green hydrogen plant at scale, it is in a good position to inform those interested just what it takes to get it done.
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At 45 MW, Plug’s new 17 tpd green gaseous and liquid hydrogen plant in Camden County, Georgia, US, is not only currently the largest green hydrogen plant in North America, it is also the largest operational proton exchange membrane (PEM) plant in the world. This is a title that the plant is unlikely to hold for long, as Plug and other companies have larger projects in the works. However, as the first of a new generation of PEM electrolysis plants to reach commissioning and production, it is helpful to look back on the lessons learnt and discuss how these can be applied to future projects.
Two plants in one
The Georgia plant is in fact two plants in one: a 5 MW gaseous plant capable of producing 2 tpd of hydrogen at 550 bar and an additional 40 MW liquid hydrogen plant. The smaller plant was built first, both to provide an early cycle of learning with the