World-first-of-its-kind tests of operating on blended hydrogen

Hydrogen powered the first internal combustion engines over 200 years ago. Now, a Wärtsilä engine has proven that it is capable of continuously supplying power to the grid at engine loads in excess of 95% using hydrogen fuel blend. Together with our partners in the United States, WEC Energy Group (WEC), EPRI and Burns & McDonnell, Wärtsilä Energy is excited to announce that the hydrogen tests in our Michigan power plant, using an unmodified 19 MW Wärtsilä 50SG engine with hydrogen and hydrogen blending skid, have exceeded expectations.

In these tests we explored the opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of an existing gas-fuelled power plant delivered by Wärtsilä using hydrogen fuel blend.

This is great news for the energy industry, which is advancing in its decarbonisation journey. Fuel flexible engines are key in enabling the transformation to net zero.

In a 2019 “Future of Hydrogen” report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said hydrogen “has not yet realised its potential to support clean energy transitions.” 

Tests like the one we recently concluded accelerate hydrogen’s entry into energy systems around the world by showing the potential of the technology to support our customers' decarbonisation ambitions.

In our very own ‘Set for 30’ program, we are committed to developing a product portfolio which will be ready for zero carbon fuels by 2030. We are actively carrying out engine tests with 100 % hydrogen fuel at our engine laboratory in Vaasa and results are encouraging. Our R&D investments and our long-term efforts in product development will be laser-focused on fuel flexibility, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction.

As we have said before, a significant amount of flexible balancing power is needed to enable stable energy supply if we plan to achieve the transition to 100% renewable energy by the middle of this century. Combustion engines and battery storage will be key solutions in the mix of balancing power technologies.

By developing engines that can run with high engine loads on green hydrogen, we create the foundations for the sustainable energy systems of tomorrow. Our aim remains unchanged: to shape the decarbonisation of marine and energy.