Wartsila Finland, together with energy companies Vaasan Sahko and EPV Energia and the City of Vaasa have signed recently a letter of intent to cooperate in a project aimed at utilizing emissions-free hydrogen in power generation, industry and traffic applications. The project will be based in Vaasa and will focus on enabling a new way to store renewable energy. At the same time, the intention is to pilot a hydrogen-based energy generation solution suitable for export markets. It is thought that hydrogen can play a significant role in reaching global climate goals. Using electricity from renewable sources, hydrogen can be produced without emissions. (Photo quoted from Wartsila’s official website)
The goal of the four parties is to jointly build a so-called Power-to-X-to-Power system in Vaasa. The system will use renewable energy to produce hydrogen to be stored and reprocessed. The stored hydrogen can be utilized both in energy production and traffic applications. Electricity generated from renewable energy sources is used as raw material to separate hydrogen from water by electrolysis, and the hydrogen will be then further processed to produce electricity. The solution is not limited to the use of hydrogen – the letter X refers also to other fuels, such as synthetic methane, methanol and ammonia. Energy production would take place in an engine power plant developed by Wartsila, using the latest technology.
“Hydrogen and other Power-to-X -fuels will have a significant role in the future energy system and the new related technology opens up excellent export opportunities for Finnish companies. During recent years, we at Wartsila have researched synthetic fuels and invested in technology related to these and other future fuels. It is part of our vision for the future whereby electricity is produced from 100% renewable energy. It is great that this project has attracted such remarkable project partners, and through close cooperation we can further accelerate the development towards a cleaner world. The ecosystem around this project represents a concrete demonstration of how Wartsila’s new Smart Technology Hub under construction in Vaasa will create new opportunities and build cooperation,” says Matti Rautkivi, Director, New Business, Wartsila Energy.
The diversity of the solution is illustrated by its opportunities for reducing emissions in several sectors. It also solves the storage problem for renewable energy, which is known to be dependent on the weather. “The solution offers a new kind of emissions-free flexibility to the energy system, which is increasingly based on renewable energy sources. At the same time, the system marks one step more towards more efficient and CO2 neutral energy production. Both viewpoints are extremely important to us,” says Hans-Alexander Ost, Development Director at Vaasan Sahko.
During 2021, the venture parties aim to follow-up on funding possibilities, and to reach the final agreement for starting the project.
(IRuniverse)
