So Cal Gas exec sees hydrogen playing key role in Kern's energy future
Nov. 13—Kern's leading position in the Golden State's renewable energy industry could help make the county a key player in hydrogen production, a Southern California Gas Co. executive said Monday during a preview of comments he plans to make Wednesday at one of the biggest events of the year for the local economy.
Chief Clean Fuels Officer Neil Navin said an electrolyzer could be hooked up to Kern's new and existing wind turbines and photovoltaic solar arrays to produce hydrogen during off-peak hours. The gas could then be used to run power plants, decarbonize heavy industry or fuel tractor-trailers.
The county's general lack of water is a "significant but not insurmountable" challenge, Navin added, noting hydrogen can be produced from salty groundwater if necessary. He said a modern electrolyzer's overriding need is proximity to renewable energy generation.
"Wherever the renewables are," he said, "that is the place that we believe hydrogen (will be) produced."
Navin is scheduled to speak at the 17th annual Kern County Energy Summit taking place from 7:55 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center, 801 Truxtun Ave. The event is sold out.
Though the state's top producer of petroleum and of renewable energy, Kern is not usually referred to as a leader in hydrogen energy. But increasingly the fuel comes up in various local energy development proposals related to California's aggressive drive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
An example Navin mentioned, besides electrolyzers connected to eastern Kern's massive solar and wind farms, is biomass power generation. Woody waste including ag trimmings and decaying logs from nearby forests could be gasified to produce either renewable methane or hydrogen, as several developers have proposed. Byproduct carbon dioxide would then be buried permanently underground.
Hydrogen may also end up powering local cement plants, Navin noted, and it may be used to decarbonize proposed steel plants that, like cement factories, traditionally produce large amounts of CO2.
Even without such projects, Navin added, the county is expected to become critical to the delivery of hydrogen along new and existing pipelines serving central, Northern and Southern California. He said The Gas Co. hopes eventually to incorporate a 20% hydrogen blend in some if its existing natural gas pipelines.
So Cal Gas already has a significant presence as a partner in one of the county's most ambitious energy-related projects — a large carbon capture and storage project proposed in western Kern by oil producer California Resources Corp. The Gas Co. is expected to move CO2 from plants where it is produced to Elk Hills, where it would be injected deep underground.
The head of B3K Prosperity, a local economic collaboration looking to build on Kern's energy leadership, among other initiatives, said by email the group is supportive of efforts to grow the county's hydrogen economy, "and we're excited to see partners take interest in investing in Kern County."
B3K Interim Executive Director Justin Salters noted the county's future economy will depend largely on how Kern navigates the energy evolution while growing as a hub of energy production and innovation.
"Renewable fuels and clean energy — including hydrogen — provide opportunities to leverage our existing industry base, talent and expertise to grow a sector and create durable, quality jobs for local residents," Salters wrote.
As in years past, Wednesday's energy summit will blend expert commentary on conventional as well as renewable sources. Workforce development will be a focus this year, but not to the exclusion of insights from a list of local industry players in hydrogen and other fields.
(Editor's note: This story has been amended to clarify The Gas Co.'s plan for incorporating a hydrogen blend in some existing pipelines.)
