Dow and General Motors Begin Work on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electricity Plant

Chemical manufacturer Dow and automotive manufacturer General Motors have begun the largest fuel cell transaction in the world. They have begun phase 1 of the installation of a single fuel cell that will convert hydrogen into electricity.

The project will see them demonstrate the viability of using hydrogen fuel cells to power a large industrial power system.

The first fuel cell will generate 75kW of power, which is enough to power 60 average homes for a year. Ultimately they will build 400 fuel cells that will produce 35MW of electricity. The electricity produced will supply 2% of Dow’s requirements for their Texas manufacturing plant.

Dow will use hydrogen which is produced as a by-product of their manufacturing process as feed for the fuel cells. This hydrogen had previously been used as fuel for boilers and also sold on as industrial gas. The fuel cell option offers a more efficient use for the hydrogen as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the ability to create competitively priced electricity.

For more information on fuel cells, click here.