CPS energy to test ‘turquoise hydrogen’ project in San Antonio

CPS Energy is partnering with a Washington state-based company to test out a cleaner way of using natural gas in San Antonio homes.

The process, known as pyrolysis, would remove the carbon from natural gas, creating what’s known as turquoise hydrogen. That hydrogen could be used in homes, reducing carbon emissions.

According to Modern Hydrogen, the company CPS Energy is working with, that leftover carbon is then used to create asphalt, which can be sold separately instead of being pumped into the atmosphere. Modern Hydrogen would take care of asphalt sales as part of the partnership.

CPS Energy would start slow and small with the new process, according to the company’s vice president of corporate economic development, Jonathan Tijerina.

“Small sample, we’re talking on a really good day, it’s half a megawatt,” he said.

That’s enough to power around 100 homes on a hot day, Tijerina said. The hydrogen produced by the pyrolysis process will be mixed into CPS Energy’s normal natural gas supply and distributed to homes and companies that use it for cooking or other industrial processes.

CPS Energy will focus on testing the new gas during the partnership.

“We’ll get to test its performance, its purity, its ability to stand up to the pressure of the system itself,” Tijerina said.

The rollout will be slow, Tijerina added, allowing the company to ensure safety. The pyrolysis technology won’t be installed for another 18 to 36 months, Tijerina said, before being run continuously for three years so CPS Energy can figure out how well the hydrogen works, how it reduces carbon dioxide emissions and how much it costs.

Customers should not notice any differences in service, he added.

Pyrolysis: a new approach

Determining the cost of pyrolysis could be key, said Dr. Armistead Russell, a Georgia Tech professor focused on air quality and health. Utilizing natural gas or methane without processing it to remove the carbon is cheaper.

“How much more does this add to the cost than burning methane directly?” Russell said.

Russell said that cost could be compared to the cost of emitting carbon. Carbon dioxide emissions can have negative impacts, including contributing to global climate change and altering patterns of climate disasters.

The pyrolysis is using a fossil fuel, so it’s not renewable, but it undoubtedly reduces carbon emissions, Russell added.

“You are getting fuel without emitting carbon,” he said.

Tijerina said part of the testing process will include figuring out the costs and benefits.

“Does this actually deliver a value back to our customer base?” Tijerina said.

There could be some higher costs associated with testing out a newer technology, he added, but that is part of innovation. This is the first use of the technology in a Texas market, Tijerina said.

“This all fits into our broader strategy of diversification,” Tijerina said.

CPS Energy is still committed to other cleaner energies, he added. Earlier this week, the company announced it planned to acquire 400 megawatts of wind energy through purchasing agreements.