CENTRALIA, Wash., Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) in partnership with the
Douglas County Public Utility District, the Renewable Hydrogen
Alliance, and Toyota Motor North
America today received a $1.9
million grant from the Centralia Coal Transition Board to
fund the Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Project, which will
deliver the first hydrogen fueling station for fuel cell electric
vehicles (FCEV) in Washington
State.
With the funding provided by the Board, the Renewable Hydrogen
Demonstration Project will lay the foundation for the expected
growth of zero-emission personal and heavy-duty hydrogen powered
fuel cell electric vehicles. The Centralia Coal Transition
Board provides grants to improve energy efficiency, educate and
retrain workers for the next generation of jobs, and fund energy
technology projects that improve our environment.
The renewable hydrogen will be made from Douglas County PUD's
clean, renewable hydropower via electrolysis, a process in which
electricity is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
Renewable hydrogen holds the potential to substantially reduce
carbon emissions from a multitude of sectors including
transportation, agriculture, petroleum refining, and natural gas
utilities.
"I am excited to see the Centralia Coal Transition Board and
Douglas County PUD move forward with this innovative project. As
Washington continues to transition
to a clean energy economy, zero-emission fuels, like renewable
hydrogen, can play an important role in decarbonizing our
transportation, energy, and industrial sectors. Transitioning to
clean fuels as soon as possible is critical to meeting our climate
goals," said Governor Jay
Inslee.
Bi-partisan support to develop renewable hydrogen production
began with Sen. Brad Hawkins'
(R-East Wenatchee) sponsorship of
SB 5588 in 2019, providing authority for the state's Public Utility
Districts to produce and distribute renewable hydrogen. HB 2042,
the Green Transportation Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Jake Fey (D-Tacoma) and Rep. Ed
Orcutt (R-Kalama) included
incentives for development of renewable hydrogen production and
distribution infrastructure. Rep. Mike
Steele (R-Chelan) secured
funding for Douglas PUD to begin engineering their production
facility.
"This project will deliver a transformational demonstration of
renewable hydrogen that has the real potential to bring more zero
emission vehicles to our roads and reduce harmful emissions," said
Evan Ramsey, Senior Director of the
Renewables Program at BEF. "By pairing renewable hydrogen
production with the first fuel cell electric vehicle fleet in
Washington, the project will build
public awareness around hydrogen and fuel cell technology and
assist the state in expanding support of hydrogen fuel cell
electric vehicle transportation in the coming years."
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle technology is an emerging
priority for several automotive manufacturers, including Toyota Motor North America. These vehicles
offer long range (more than 300 miles) and fast fueling (less than
5 minutes), which is comparable in range and fueling time to
conventional vehicles.
"The opportunity to demonstrate fuel cell electric vehicle
technology has never been timelier as Douglas County PUD is
currently procuring a first of its kind renewable hydrogen
electrolyzer facility, which can provide clean fuel to Washington State," said Molly Simpson, Douglas County PUD's Commission
President. "This project will pair our new renewable hydrogen
production facility with a new hydrogen fueling station and begin
by serving a fleet of approximately 10 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel
cell electric vehicles."
The hydrogen station in Washington
State is expected to open in late 2021, with the vehicles in
demonstration fleets shortly thereafter. Initial site selection
will target locations with proximity to public fleets in the
Lewis and southern Thurston County area—and also halfway between
the Seattle and Vancouver/Portland metro areas.
Bonneville Environmental Foundation
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) is a 501c3
nonprofit working on energy, carbon and water. BEF believes that
addressing the climate crisis requires partnership and innovation.
BEF strives to break down barriers to renewable energy through
education, awareness, and creative solutions.
Douglas County Public Utility District
Douglas County Public Utility District is a locally owned,
nonprofit public utility district who strives to provide the best
possible utility services at the lowest possible cost consistent
with sound business principles.
Media Contact
Evan
Ramsey, eramsey@b-e-f.org
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America