Bloom Energy has begun generating H₂ from the world’s largest solid oxide electrolyzer installation at NASA’s Ames Research Center, the historic Moffett Field research facility in Mountain View, California. This high-temperature, high-efficiency unit produces 20%−25% more H₂ per megawatt (MW) than commercially demonstrated lower temperature electrolylzers such as proton electrolyte membrane (PEM) or alkaline.

This electrolyzer demonstration showcases the maturity, efficiency and commercial readiness of Bloom’s solid oxide technology for large-scale, clean H₂ production. The 4-MW Bloom Electrolyzer, delivering the equivalent of over 2.4 metric tpd of H₂ output, was built, installed and operationalized in a span of two months to demonstrate the speed and ease of deployment.

“This demonstration is a major milestone for reaching net-zero goals,” said KR Sridhar, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman and CEO of Bloom Energy. “H₂ will be essential for storing intermittent and curtailed energy and for decarbonizing industrial energy use. Commercially viable electrolyzers are the key to unlocking the energy storage puzzle, and solid oxide electrolyzers offer inherently superior technology and economic advantages. Bloom Energy, as the global leader in solid oxide technology, is proud to share this exciting demonstration with the world: our product is ready for prime time.”

The current demonstration expands on Bloom’s recent project on a 100-kW system located at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) which achieved record-breaking electrolyzer efficiency. In the ongoing project, 4500 hours of full load operations have been completed with a Bloom Electrolyzer producing H₂ more efficiently than any other process – over 25% more efficiently than low-temperature electrolysis.

The INL steam and load simulations replicated nuclear power conditions to validate full capability of technology application at nuclear facilities, and the pilot results revealed the Bloom Electrolyzer producing H₂ at 37.7 kWh per kg of H₂. Dynamic testing conducted at INL included ramping down the system from 100% of rated power to 5% in less than 10 minutes without adverse system impacts. Even at 5% of rated load, the energy efficiency (kWh/kg) was as good or better than other electrolyzer technologies at their 100% rated capacity. These results will be presented at the Department of Energy’s Annual Review Meeting in Washington DC on June 7, 2023.

“The amount of electricity needed by the electrolyzer to make H₂ will be the most dominant factor in determining H₂ production cost. For this reason, the efficiency of the electrolyzer, the electricity needed to produce a kilogram of H₂ becomes the most critical figure of merit. This 4-MW demonstration at the NASA Ames Research Center proves that the energy efficiency of our large-scale electrolyzer is similar to the small-scale system tested at INL highlighting the strength of our modular architecture,” said Dr. Ravi Prasher, Chief Technology Officer of Bloom Energy. “The electrolyzer product is leveraging the Bloom platform knowhow of more than 1 GW of solid oxide fuel cells deployed in the field and providing approximately 1 trillion cumulative cell operating hours. The same technology platform that can convert natural gas and H₂ to electricity can be used reversibly to convert electricity to H₂. With Bloom’s high-efficiency, high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzers, we are one step closer to a decarbonized future powered by low-cost clean H₂.”