Cummins' First Electrolyzer for Green Hydrogen Economy
Cummins will begin producing electrolyzers in the United States, helping to advance the nation’s green hydrogen economy. Electrolyzer production will take place in Fridley, Minnesota, starting at 500 megawatts (MW) of manufacturing capacity annually, scalable to 1 gigawatt (GW) in the future.
Cummins’ says that electrolyzer manufacturing is an important step in advancing global decarbonization efforts. It is also a reflection of increasing government support through the Inflation Reduction Act, Hydrogen Hubs, and a blossoming hydrogen economy in the states.
Cummins plans to use 89,000 square feet of its current facility in Fridley to make electrolyzers. At first, the plant will make its HyLYZER-500 and HyLYZER-5000 proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers here. In the future, it may also make other electrolyzer products. This range of products can accommodate power needs from 1.25MW to more than 200MW for both small- and large-scale hydrogen generation projects.
An electrolyzer separates water into oxygen and hydrogen. When the electrolyzer system is run with carbon-free electricity like solar, wind, or hydropower, it makes carbon-free hydrogen. This green hydrogen can be stored as a compressed gas or a liquid and used as a clean power source with a lot of energy to help get rid of carbon dioxide in hard-to-control areas like heavy-duty transportation and industrial processes.
Cummins recently announced the expansion of PEM electrolyzer manufacturing capacity at its Belgium factory to 1GW and has added space to its Mississauga, Canada, site. Cummins is also building two new electrolyzer factories, one in Spain and one in China. Each factory will be able to make up to 1GW of energy, starting with 500MW.
Source: Environmental Leader
