Port of Seattle and Seattle City Light to study use of hydrogen fuel

from

Seattle Times reporter

The Port of Seattle and Seattle City Light will delve deeper into the use of hydrogen fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in two studies funded with $ 2.12 million in grants from the Department of Energy.

The first study looks at setting up a hydrogen filling station for forklifts, trucks, cranes, and other equipment that is now powered by fossil fuels. The second study examines the risks and benefits of developing a hydrogen infrastructure in the port that could power cruise and cargo ships, as well as land-based vehicles and equipment.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories will support the studies. The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) and Paccar are partners on the study, said Fred Felleman, president of the Port of Seattle Commission and co-chair of the NWSA, in a written statement.

“The ability to add clean hydrogen to our energy portfolio will be key to the Port of Seattle and NWSA meeting our commitments to be carbon-free by 2040,” said Felleman.

“It is more important than ever for Seattle City Light to partner with our customers who want to address the climate crisis by decarbonising their operations,” said Debra Smith, CEO of Seattle City Light.

Most of the hydrogen is made from fossil fuels in a process that releases greenhouse gases. In the future, however, more hydrogen is to be produced by a process using electricity that could be supplied from renewable energy sources.

There is currently a keen interest in using hydrogen as a substitute for fossil fuels in some of the hard-to-decarbonize marine and trucking industries.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/port-of-seattle-and-seattle-city-light-to-study-use-of-hydrogen-fuel/