First-of-its-kind Northern California green hydrogen facility

The Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) wanted to establish a first-of-its-kind green hydrogen energy plant in California, providing hydrogen power to Northern California and beyond.

The proposed hydrogen production would produce low-carbon hydrogen and reduce the carbon-intensity of natural gas power generation at the existing Lodi Energy Center, which is home to one of California’s cleanest burning natural gas-fire turbines. The facility combines recycled water, renewable power production, and natural gas to provide power and hydrogen to a variety of agencies including the City of Lodi and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

Although the state of California is abundant in solar power and other renewable feedstock sources, the climate experiences drought so accessing sufficient water supply as feedstock and overcoming legislative hurdles was a challenge.

We developed preliminary site layouts for a 60 MW reference plant that can be scaled on site up to over 150MW. We selected the preferred layout and provided a digital visualization flyover of the proposed facility. Through preliminary engineering design leading to a detailed cost estimate, we identified a path to implementation that included major milestones for design and construction of the facility.

The project will use commercial electrolysis technology and grid-connected low-carbon power supply to produce approximately 24 metric tons of low-carbon hydrogen per day. Wastewater from the adjacent Lodi Water Pollution Control Facility will be used as feedstock.

The facility will lower NCPA’s greenhouse gas emissions to support California’s goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent below 1990 by 2030.

The project will continue to provide large-scale power generation at reduced carbon intensity via hydrogen blending. In the future, the facility has the potential to transition to up to 100% low-carbon hydrogen power generation, providing low-carbon large-scale power generation in support of a clean, resilient, and reliable energy system.

Through blending connection with PG&E’s Hydrogen-to-Infinity project, excess renewable power could be blended into the gas transmission network in the long-term, transporting low-carbon hydrogen long-distance through the extensive existing gas network infrastructure.

Lodi and surrounding communities will benefit from increased access to cleaner energy, high-paying jobs, career training and education in emerging low-carbon technologies, reduced pollution exposure, and increased grid stability.