The Spanish electricity company Iberdrola SA wants to produce green hydrogen using solar power. The plan is to build a photovoltaic system with an installed capacity of 100 megawatts, a lithium-ion battery storage system with a capacity of 20 megawatt hours and a 20 megawatt electrolyzer. According to the company, the investments amount to 150 million euros. Hydrogen production is scheduled to begin in 2021.
The gas is purchased by the Fertiberia fertilizer factory in Puertollano, Ciudad Real province in the autonomous region of Castile-La Mancha. According to the information, up to 700 jobs would be created. The green hydrogen produced will be used in Fertiberia's ammonia plant (production capacity: more than 200.000 tons per year). The company could thus reduce its natural gas requirements by more than ten percent.
The annual production of hydrogen in Spain is estimated at 0,5 million tons per year and is primarily used in the refining, chemical and fertilizer industries. Most of this, Iberdrola said, comes from fossil fuels and produces emissions of five million tons of CO2 per year. Annual global H2 production (70 million tons) corresponds to CO2 emissions of 830 million tons. Decarbonizing global hydrogen production through the use of 100 percent renewable energy could increase electricity demand by more than ten percent.
Iberdrola is working on European initiatives to promote innovation in this area and recently joined the Choose Renewable Hydrogen initiative, through which energy companies urge the European Commission to “take the right actions to maximize the potential of green hydrogen” .
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Iberdrola and Fertiberia invest 150 million euros in the production of green hydrogen / © Iberdrola
