Zero Emission Hydrogen Turbine Center

– on the path to decarbonization

Showcasing a future energy system with hydrogen turbines

The next decades are expected to be among the most transformative the energy sector has ever seen when the world is moving away from fossil fuels. As part of this transformation we expanded our own gas turbine test facility in the town of Finspång, Sweden, to become a model of the future energy system. 

Together with international partners within the research project Zero Emission Hydrogen Turbine Center (ZEHTC) we set up a demonstration plant to showcase a flexible and sustainable energy system connecting gas turbines with hydrogen, renewable energy and energy storage. This provided valuable insights to be able to accelerate into a decarbonized energy future.

The Zero Emission Hydrogen Turbine Center at a glance

H2 production

H₂ production

Onsite hydrogen production from renewables and excess electricity

Decreases CO2 emissions

Decreased CO₂ emissions

Hydrogen enabling decarbonization of gas turbine operation

Knowledge

Micro grids and energy storage

Platform for sharing know-how on flexible energy systems and hydrogen solutions

Extended hydrogen testing resources

Enabling extended testing toward 100 percent hydrogen capability

The project idea

Watch our video to learn more

The demonstrator plant provides valuable insights to be able to accelerate into a decarbonized energy future.

Read more about the project and all the partners on our partner website

How does it work?

The test center opens up multiple possibilities: Excess energy from gas turbine tests and electricity from solar panels is used to produce hydrogen in an electrolyzer. The energy is stored as compressed hydrogen and in batteries.

This way a closed loop plant is created, producing its own hydrogen for our continued research and development to optimize the use of hydrogen in gas turbines. All this also while supporting our goal to be able to run our gas turbines on 100% hydrogen by 2030.

Click on the labels to learn more about the components of the solution

The future of gas turbines

So, what is the role of gas turbines in a sustainable energy system? 

Gas turbines have proven to be very effective in balancing intermittent renewable energy production due to their flexibility and short ramp-up times. According to the International Energy Agency, gas turbines will play an important role in providing flexibility in the electrical grid in a Sustainable Development Scenario.

H₂ capabilities of our medium-sized gas turbines

As of today, the gas turbines we're testing in our new Zero Emission Hydrogen Turbine Center are ready to burn up to 75% of hydrogen in the fuel mix. And step by step we aim to reach 100% by 2030.

A sustainable energy system

Gas turbines with hydrogen as fuel have great potential to provide more stability in future energy systems that involve increasing shares from renewable sources without increasing carbon emissions. 

As power from solar and wind is highly volatile and does not always match the energy demand, hydrogen – produced from these green energy sources – can be used as an energy storage solution. The subsequent combustion of hydrogen results in zero carbon emissions.

Gas turbines provide in themselves renewable power when running on hydrogen, or any other fossil-free fuel like e-fuels (i.e. e-methanol, e-diesel, e-methane) or bio-fuels (i.e. bio-methanol, ethanol, or bio-diesel).