Baker Hughes and Bloom Energy have unveiled plans to collaborate on the potential commercialization and deployment of hydrogen solutions to advance the energy transition. The two companies will begin collaborating on potential customer engagements with the objective of launching pilot projects over the next two to three years and fully commercializing and scaling applications, products, and solutions shortly thereafter.
For hydrogen, Baker Hughes provides compression and energy conversion technology and services used across the value chain worldwide, including production, transportation, and utilization. Bloom Energy’s modular and fuel-flexible energy server platform can use biogas and hydrogen, in addition to natural gas, to create electricity.
“The path to net-zero carbon emissions must include partnerships and collaboration,” said Uwem Ukpong, executive vice president of regions, alliances, and enterprise sales at Baker Hughes. “At the core of our collaboration agreement with Bloom Energy is the potential to develop integrated technology offerings for commercialization and deployment of smarter, cleaner, and more economic energy solutions. It’s a great example of how Baker Hughes is strategically pursuing ways to advance new energy frontiers and invest for growth in the industrial marketplace.”
The companies will focus efforts in three areas:
Integrated Power Solutions
By leveraging Bloom Energy’s solid oxide fuel cell technology (SOFC) and Baker Hughes’ light-weight gas turbine technology, the companies intend to provide efficient, resilient, and cost-effective solutions for cleaner energy generation, waste heat recovery, and grid independent power for customers.
Integrated Hydrogen Solutions
The companies will explore opportunities to pair Bloom Energy’s solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC) that can produce 100% hydrogen with Baker Hughes’ compression technology for efficient production, compression, transport, and delivery of hydrogen. Waste heat utilization for steam generation will also be assessed to further increase efficiency and cost effectiveness of hydrogen production. The companies will target applications such as blending hydrogen into natural gas pipelines, as well as on-site hydrogen production for industrial use. These efforts are geared toward accelerating the transition to the hydrogen economy.
Mutual Technical Collaborations
The companies will assess opportunities to leverage Baker Hughes’ broad technology portfolio and Bloom Energy’s SOFC and SOEC solutions. In addition to hydrogen and clean power, areas of collaboration may include carbon capture and emissions monitoring technologies, digital solutions, and additive manufacturing capabilities.
“We believe that in combining our industry-leading technologies and expertise to provide differentiated and customized integrated solutions to customers, we can accelerate the adoption of clean energy technologies,” said Azeez Mohammed, executive vice president of international business for Bloom Energy. “This collaboration will serve as a model of how we need to look for innovative ways in which we can work together and integrate technologies and capabilities to achieve our common goals for global decarbonization and resiliency.”
