Bloom Energy Corp. (San Jose, Calif.) inaugurated its high-volume commercial electrolyzer production line at the company’s Newark, Del. facility, increasing the company’s generating capacity of electrolyzers to two gigawatts. The award-winning technology is the most energy-efficient design to produce clean hydrogen to date.
In the last decade, the facility has produced over 1 gigawatt (GW) of resilient, sustainable, and cost-effective fuel cell-based Energy Servers. The Bloom Electrolyzer relies on the same, commercially proven solid oxide technology platform used to produce electricity, so streamlining existing manufacturing for higher volume electrolyzer output allows Bloom to best meet the needs of the market.
The technology’s significant capabilities for hydrogen production are being demonstrated in partnerships with Xcel Energy and Idaho National Labs to harness nuclear and steam power, and will be demonstrated with LSB Industries, Inc. to decarbonize industrial and agricultural sectors. Internationally, the technology is in use in South Korea.
“Through the domestic production of technologies like Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer, we are making strides towards American energy independence, as well as a sustainable clean hydrogen market, which is critical for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries like fertilizer, steel, cement, and aviation,” said Sharelynn Moore, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer, Bloom Energy. “Our employees work every day to overcome one of humanity’s greatest challenges, and today’s inauguration celebrates their strength and ability to transform a successful manufacturing plant into a world class facility committed to a secure, net-zero energy future.”
The Bloom Electrolyzer supports a trajectory for hydrogen to become economically accessible by producing hydrogen up to 45 percent more efficiently than PEM and alkaline electrolyzers when combined with external heat. By operating at high temperatures, Bloom’s electrolyzer consumes 15 percent less electricity than other electrolyzer technologies when electricity is the sole input source. This allows for the Bloom Electrolyzer to be deployed across a broad variety of commercial hydrogen applications, using multiple energy sources, including intermittent renewable energy and excess heat at manufacturing facilities and businesses.
Electrolyzer production demonstrates the growing momentum for American clean energy manufacturing following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) earlier this year, which supports technologies and financial mechanisms that will make the United States’ transition to clean energy a reality.
In addition to its work on the east coast, Bloom Energy marked the expansion of its growing American manufacturing footprint this July, with the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art, 164,000 square foot, multi-gigawatt facility in Fremont, California. This facility represents a $200 million investment and is expected to create more than 400 additional clean energy jobs by year-end, bringing Bloom’s California headcount to nearly 2,000 in addition to its 715 Delaware employees.