Asahi Kasei Corp. (Tokyo, Japan; www.asahi-kasei.co.jp) and its subsidiary Asahi Kasei Engineering Corp. have received an order from Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corp. (www.toshiba-energy.com) for an alkaline-water-electrolysis system of the world-leading scale of 10 MW in a single unit to be installed at the Fukushima Hydrogen Research Field in Namie, Futaba, Fukushima, Japan.
Development of the large-scale alkaline water electrolysis system featuring high energy efficiency and outstanding responsiveness with fluctuating output was achieved based on Asahi Kasei’s chlor-alkali electrolysis technology, with the support of Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions, which placed the order for Asahi Kasei’s electrolysis system, was commissioned by NEDO to implement a Hydrogen from Renewable Energy Project in Namie, as a technological development project. Integrated with a large-scale solar power generation plant, the electrolysis system will form a core part of the Fukushima Hydrogen Research Field scheduled for test operation in the autumn of 2019 and start-up in the summer of 2020.
Asahi Kasei’s alkaline water electrolysis system is an example of “power-to-gas” technology to convert renewable energy into clean hydrogen which is expected to be widely utilized in transportation and industrial applications as a substitute for fossil fuel. The market is expected to grow significantly with the shift to a low-carbon society.