Hydrogen Generation Technology from Babcock & Wilcox BrightLoop chosen by Black Hills Energy for Wyoming's Clean Energy and CO2 Capture project advancement
In a significant move towards a cleaner energy future, Black Hills Energy and Babcock & Wilcox have joined forces to develop a project that could revolutionise Wyoming's energy landscape.
Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, Black Hills Energy has expressed its excitement about this opportunity, with their Vice President of Wyoming Operations, Mark Stege, stating that over 30 years of research has led to this point. The project aims to unite clean energy technology with Wyoming's abundant energy resources.
At the heart of this collaboration is Babcock & Wilcox's BrightLoop hydrogen generation technology. This innovative technology has the potential to advance Wyoming's clean energy and CO2 capture efforts, enabling hydrogen production from coal with integrated carbon capture. This shift decarbonizes coal usage by transforming it from a combustion source for power generation into a feedstock for clean hydrogen.
The project is a tripartite endeavour, involving Babcock & Wilcox, Black Hills Energy, and the Wyoming Energy Authority. This commitment to integrating cutting-edge clean technologies with regional energy resources demonstrates a shared vision for a sustainable energy future.
The BrightLoop technology offers economic benefits by creating a marketable product (hydrogen) from declining coal resources, providing a pathway to prolong coal's utility in a lower-carbon economy. It aligns with Wyoming's carbon capture legislation (HB 200), which encourages utilities to consider carbon capture to reduce emissions.
However, challenges remain around cost feasibility. Installing carbon capture equipment is estimated at about $500 million across Wyoming utility customers, which could potentially lead to rate increases. However, research into technologies like BrightLoop aims to improve economic and technical viability.
If successful, the project could produce low carbon intensity hydrogen gas from Powder River Basin coal. This could enhance energy security, help combat climate change, and create clean energy jobs for the region.
For more information about Babcock & Wilcox, visit babcock.com. Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. is headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Further details about Black Hills Energy can be found at www.blackhillsenergy.com.
Jimmy Morgan, B&W Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, expressed that the BrightLoop technology could provide a vital pathway to utilise coal in a net-zero world. The technology is a novel chemical looping technology that can use a variety of fuels to produce clean energy with complete CO2 capture.
The BrightLoop chemical looping technology is part of B&W's ClimateBrightTM suite of decarbonization and hydrogen technologies. The proposed project aims to capture nearly pure CO2 emissions suitable for beneficial use or storage without the need for expensive carbon separation equipment.
The BrightLoop process uses a proprietary, regenerable particle and has been demonstrated to effectively separate CO while producing hydrogen, steam, and/or syngas. The project between Babcock & Wilcox and Black Hills Energy will study the cost and economics of deploying the BrightLoop chemical looping technology at commercial scale.
This partnership between Babcock & Wilcox and Black Hills Energy marks an exciting step forward in Wyoming's clean energy transition and CO2 sequestration goals. The project is expected to create a more sustainable energy future for the state, while maintaining the economic relevance of its abundant fossil fuel resources.
The collaboration between Black Hills Energy and Babcock & Wilcox, as well as the Wyoming Energy Authority, aligns with a hydrogen economy, aiming to unite clean energy technology with Wyoming's abundant resources to produce low carbon intensity hydrogen gas from Powder River Basin coal. This project, centered around Babcock & Wilcox's BrightLoop hydrogen generation technology, held within B&W's ClimateBrightTM suite of decarbonization and hydrogen technologies, promises to transition Wyoming's energy landscape towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.
