LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California
Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced today it will provide $1.3 million to fund the development of four
hydrogen fuel technologies that could provide emissions-free
transportation for railways and at ports in California and around the world. The funding
will help bring to market innovative clean hydrogen technologies,
including fuel-cell marine vessels, hydrogen refueling stations at
ports, and fuel cell locomotives.
"SoCalGas is thrilled to support these important hydrogen
technology projects," said Neil
Navin, vice president of clean energy innovations at
SoCalGas. "Projects like these have the potential to create more
zero-emissions transportation and reduce the cost of hydrogen
fueling infrastructure, consistent with California's climate goals. SoCalGas remains
committed to helping California
reach these goals and our support of innovative clean fuel projects
like these demonstrates that commitment."
The four projects were selected for funding through the
California Energy Commission's (CEC), Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Demonstrations in Rail and Marine Applications at Ports
(H2RAM) grant program. In addition to $1.3 million in funding from SoCalGas, the CEC
will provide over $10.4 million to
fund the research and development of these projects – bringing the
total funding to approximately $11.7
million. Project partners include maritime fuel cell maker
Golden Gate Zero Emission Marine Inc., research organization Gas
Technology Institute (GTI), and non-profit CALSTART.
"GTI is proud to partner with SoCalGas on this important project
and greatly appreciates their support. This project will use
hydrogen to provide zero-emission locomotive operations in a port
and a designated disadvantaged community, which directly aligns
with GTI's core goals," said Ted
Barnes, GTI's research and development director.
"As California looks toward advancing our strategies for
emissions reductions, transportation applications that use hydrogen
and fuel cells will play a key role," said California Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento). "I am pleased to see SoCalGas, in
partnership with the CEC, supporting the development of these
innovative projects, especially in the 7th Assembly District.
These efforts are timely with the Governor's executive order
that requires all new cars and passenger trucks sold in
California to be zero-emission
vehicles by 2035. It's important that we all work together to
propel California forward into the
future of clean energy."
In addition to this funding, SoCalGas is advancing numerous low-
and zero-carbon energy technologies. Late last year, the
company announced the creation of a Hydrogen Blending Demonstration
Program to study blending hydrogen in its gas system, so it can
ultimately recommend a hydrogen injection standard for regulatory
approval.
It also announced it will build a home to demonstrate, in a
microgrid setting, the use of hydrogen produced from solar energy.
Called the "H2 Hydrogen Home," the project will use solar panels to
create electricity that can be used to produce green hydrogen via
electrolysis. The hydrogen will be blended with natural gas for the
home's appliances as well as converted back to electricity using a
residential fuel cell.
In addition, SoCalGas will field test a new technology that
separates and compresses hydrogen from a blend of hydrogen and
natural gas, allowing hydrogen to be delivered wherever a natural
gas distribution system exists. Details on these efforts are
available here.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest, and most
innovative energy company in North
America. More information on the company's mission and
strategic priorities can be found at socalgas.com/mission.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is
the largest gas distribution
utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers
affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service
to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of
Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of
residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying
clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's
pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians— about 45 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest gas utility
in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly
renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision,
SoCalGas is committed to helping homes and businesses decarbonize
their energy usage by delivering 5% renewable gas by 2022 and 20%
by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by
dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is
also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure
while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2015 through
2019, the company invested nearly $7 billion to upgrade
and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and
reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based
in San Diego. For more information
visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company