Two leaders in the green energy transition are coming together to form a new partnership. Bloom Energy and Heliogen complement technologies to produce green hydrogen from solar power and water, accelerating the revolution towards net zero economy. The integrated solution of Bloom and Heliogen is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.
It combines Heliogen’s Sunlight Refinery solar power generation system with Bloom Energy’s highly efficient solid oxide electrolyzer. The green hydrogen produced by this process can power commercial and industrial applications and replace fossil-fuels for mitigating climate change.
“We are always on the lookout for complementary technology to accelerate the path to zero and negative carbon, and that’s exactly what we plan to do with Heliogen,” said Venkat Venkataraman, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Bloom Energy.
Bloom Energy is an electrolyzer company and a leading producer of solid oxide fuel cell technology. It develops hydrogen electrolyzers operating on steam that are almost 30% more efficient than low-temperature electrolyzers like polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and alkaline. Major clients for the company are Caltech, FedEx, Google, The Wonderful Company, and Wal-Mart.
Heliogen is a Bill Gates-backed renewable energy company that uses artificial intelligence and a field of mirrors reflecting sunlight to produce energy and heat. The system generates extreme heat above 1,000 degrees Celsius – a breakthrough in the solar energy field.
Such high temperatures are required in the production of cement, steel, glass, and other industrial processes. In other words, this technology can replace fossil fuels in energy-intensive, hard-to-decarbonize industries.
“We developed our AI-powered Sunlight Refinery knowing that green hydrogen is a key element in decarbonizing global transport…We will further enhance our Sunlight Refinery’s technology with the addition of Bloom Energy’s market-leading technology, and we have found a committed and invaluable partner in our mission to help decarbonize the entire global economy,” said Bill Gross, founder, and CEO of Heliogen.
The partnership between the two companies is set to provide efficient and more cost-effective hydrogen production. It would also accelerate the fast adoption of green hydrogen to help the world achieve the net zero by 2050 goal.
