Global technology and power solutions leader Cummins Inc. has provided a 20-megawatt PEM electrolyzer system to generate green hydrogen, making it the largest in operation in the world. The Cummins electrolyzer system is installed at the Air Liquide hydrogen production facility in Bécancour, Québec. The Cummins PEM Electrolyzer can produce more than 3,000 tons of hydrogen annually using clean hydropower.
The HyLYZER PEM electrolyzer technology is the result of more than 20 years of development by Hydrogenics, a Canadian company that was acquired by Cummins in September of 2019, a company which Air Liquide retains a 19% stake.
This installation in Québec features four compact pressurized electrolyzer skids that were fitted inside an existing building. This is a modular and scalable electrolyzer platform designed to address utility-scale hydrogen production.
Electrolyzers provide a means to address one of the largest dilemmas in the renewable energy industry, which is how to store the energy when it is not in demand. Cummins’ PEM electrolyzers enable the storage of excess energy that would typically be sold off to the market at a financial loss, or not harnessed at all, and instead store that energy to sell into a new green hydrogen market. They can also be used to decarbonize multiple sectors including zero-emission transportation, industrial processes and the green chemicals sector.
Already a leader in advanced diesel, natural gas and battery technologies, Cummins is rapidly growing its capabilities to support the overall hydrogen economy. Cummins uses fuel cell technologies to power a variety of applications, including transit buses, semi-trucks, delivery trucks, refuse trucks and passenger trains and has made several recent investments to support the overall fuel cell ecosystem. This includes acquiring Hydrogenics, which provided Cummins with PEM fuel cells and both PEM and alkaline electrolyzers, forming a joint venture with NPROXX to produce hydrogen storage tanks, and investing in the development of solid oxide fuel cells.
