This week Vaasan Sähkö, together with companies Wärtsilä Finland and EPV Energia and the City of Vaasa, have signed a letter of intent to cooperate in a project aimed at utilising emissions-free hydrogen in power generation, industry and traffic applications. The project will be based in Vaasa and will focus on enabling a new way to store renewable energy.
At the same time, the intention is to pilot a hydrogen-based energy generation solution suitable for export markets.
It is thought that hydrogen can play a significant role in reaching global climate goals. Using electricity from renewable sources, hydrogen can be produced without emissions.
The goal of the four parties is to jointly build a so-called Power-to-X-to-Power system in Vaasa. The system will use renewable energy to produce hydrogen to be stored and reprocessed. The stored hydrogen can be utilised both in energy production and traffic applications.
Electricity generated from renewable energy sources is used as raw material to separate hydrogen from water by electrolysis, and the hydrogen will be then further processed to produce electricity.
The solution is not limited to the use of hydrogen – the letter X refers also to other fuels, such as synthetic methane, methanol and ammonia.
Energy production would take place in an engine power plant developed by Wärtsilä, using the latest technology.
The diversity of the solution is illustrated by its opportunities for reducing emissions in several sectors. It also solves the storage problem for renewable energy, which is known to be dependent on the weather.
“The solution offers a new kind of emissions-free flexibility to the energy system, which is increasingly based on renewable energy sources. At the same time, the system marks one step more towards more efficient and CO2 neutral energy production. Both viewpoints are extremely important to us,” says Hans-Alexander Öst, Development Director at Vaasan Sähkö.
The current combined heat and power generation plant in the Vaasa region provides excellent locational support for this venture.
The venture supports the parties’ objectives to be CO2 neutral during this decade. It also provides a new export opportunity for energy solutions, and is easily applicable even on a global scale.
During 2021, the venture parties aim to follow-up on funding possibilities, and to reach the final agreement for starting the project.
Read more on Wärtsilä Finland’s website.