Bloom Energy announced plans to install an electrolyzer at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant in Welch in Minnesota. The installation is designed to augment existing clean energy nuclear infrastructure to create immediate and scalable pathways to produce cost-efficient, clean hydrogen, supporting the growing hydrogen economy while enhancing value for operators of zero-carbon nuclear facilities. Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer, built on its solid oxide platform, operates at high temperatures to convert water into hydrogen. Pairing solid oxide electrolysis with nuclear energy’s technology is a preferred method of unlocking unmatched efficiencies. The high heat and steam produced by Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island facility feeds into Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer to produce zero-carbon hydrogen more efficiently than low temperature electrolysis alternatives like polymer electrolyte membrane or alkaline. These low temperature alternatives require roughly 40% more electricity, providing the Bloom Electrolyzer an efficiency advantage that is expected to significantly drive down the cost of hydrogen production. The Prairie Island facility, one of Xcel Energy’s two nuclear power plants that produce nearly 30% of the electricity provided to its customers in the Upper Midwest, faces extreme winter weather annually, leading Xcel Energy to specifically turn to Bloom Energy for its resiliency benefits. Operating reliably and efficiently with an expected 99% uptime, we believe the installation will demonstrate how electrolyzers can leverage the energy output from nuclear to support hydrogen production even during harsh conditions.
Bloom Energy announced plans to install an electrolyzer at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant in Welch in Minnesota. The installation is designed to augment existing clean energy nuclear infrastructure to create immediate and scalable pathways to produce cost-efficient, clean hydrogen, supporting the growing hydrogen economy while enhancing value for operators of zero-carbon nuclear facilities. Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer, built on its solid oxide platform, operates at high temperatures to convert water into hydrogen. Pairing solid oxide electrolysis with nuclear energy’s technology is a preferred method of unlocking unmatched efficiencies. The high heat and steam produced by Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island facility feeds into Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer to produce zero-carbon hydrogen more efficiently than low temperature electrolysis alternatives like polymer electrolyte membrane or alkaline. These low temperature alternatives require roughly 40% more electricity, providing the Bloom Electrolyzer an efficiency advantage that is expected to significantly drive down the cost of hydrogen production. The Prairie Island facility, one of Xcel Energy’s two nuclear power plants that produce nearly 30% of the electricity provided to its customers in the Upper Midwest, faces extreme winter weather annually, leading Xcel Energy to specifically turn to Bloom Energy for its resiliency benefits. Operating reliably and efficiently with an expected 99% uptime, we believe the installation will demonstrate how electrolyzers can leverage the energy output from nuclear to support hydrogen production even during harsh conditions.
