INNIO power for waste-to-hydrogen plant

INNIO will supply Jenbacher Ready-for-H2 engines to produce renewable energy for making hydrogen at Raven SR’s Richmond, California, site. (Photo: INNIO)

INNIO, in collaboration with Raven SR, has announced Raven SR’s plans to use INNIO’s Jenbacher engines with a “Ready for H2” option to produce renewable energy. The energy system will power and heat Raven SR’s S- Series hydrogen production facility at a sanitary landfill in Richmond, California, USA.

At the site, landfill gas (LFG) will be the primary fuel to provide power for the non-combustion process that converts waste to hydrogen. The hydrogen product will be resold to power fuel cells in heavy-duty trucks. The Raven SR process will also provide a residual fuel containing residual green hydrogen from the concentration process to supplement the LFG to fuel the Jenbacher Ready-for-H2 engines to generate renewable power in a continuous loop.

The collaboration with Raven’s technology offers a renewable hydrogen alternative to electrolysis, using less electricity and no need for fresh water. INNIO’s Jenbacher engines will allow the Raven facility to generate a significant amount of their own electricity, reducing demand on California’s electrical grid.

“We are proud to collaborate with Raven on this hydrogen industry first, which is a milestone in the interconnecting of transportation and industry with the power producing sector,” said Dr. Olaf Berlien, president and CEO of INNIO. “This project produces onsite renewable hydrogen from waste, uses a blend of hydrogen to generate energy to power operations, and provides renewable hydrogen for the transportation industry. This is a model example of how innovation can enable sector coupling which will be critical on the global path to net zero.”

A specialist in transforming biomass, mixed municipal solid waste, bio-solids, sewage, medical waste, and natural or biogas into renewable fuels, Raven SR plans to bring its S-Series online in the first quarter of 2023 at the Republic Services West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill in Richmond. The project will initially process up to 99.9 tons of organic waste per day and produce up to 2000 metric tons per year of hydrogen.

“INNIO is able to meet our delivery schedule and provide engines that are compliant with emissions requirements for a blend of CO2, methane and hydrogen,” said Matt Murdock, CEO of Raven SR. “The Jenbacher engines are a very important element for us to realize our objective of producing renewable hydrogen with our non-combustion Steam/CO2 Reformation Process, independent of the grid.

“Raven’s success in the increasing energy and electricity crisis requires that we generate autonomous power onsite. To succeed in the energy transition, collaboration among best-in-class engineering around the world is required. We are grateful to work with INNIO on this advanced, self-contained renewable energy design.”