Baker Hughes will join forces with distributed energy firm Bloom Energy to collaborate on the potential commercialization and deployment of integrated, low-carbon power-generation and hydrogen solutions to advance the energy transition. The pair will begin collaborating on potential customer engagements immediately, with the objective of launching pilot projects over the next 2–3 years and fully commercializing and scaling applications, products, and solutions shortly thereafter.
The venture initially focus on integrated power solutions leveraging Bloom’s solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology and Baker Hughes’ lightweight gas-turbine technology. Bloom’s low-emissions SOFCs, Baker Hughes’ NovaLT gas turbines—which can run on up to 100% hydrogen—along with heat-recovery turbines can create resilient microgrids for large-scale applications.
The companies will explore opportunities to pair Bloom's solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC) that can produce 100% clean hydrogen with Baker Hughes’ compression technology for efficient production, compression, transport, and delivery of hydrogen. Waste-heat utilization for steam generation also will be assessed to increase efficiency and cost effectiveness of hydrogen production. The companies will target applications such as blending hydrogen into natural-gas pipelines, as well as on-site hydrogen production for industrial use.
The pair also will assess additional opportunities to marry Baker Hughes’ broad technology portfolio and Bloom’s SOFC and SOEC technology. In addition to hydrogen and clean power, areas of collaboration could include carbon-capture and emissions-monitoring technologies, digital solutions, and additive-manufacturing capabilities.
“The path to net-zero carbon emissions must include partnerships and collaboration,” said Uwem Ukpong, executive vice president of regions, alliances, and enterprise sales at Baker Hughes. “At the core of our collaboration agreement with Bloom Energy is the potential to develop integrated technology offerings for commercialization and deployment of smarter, cleaner, and more economic energy solutions.”
The Bloom venture is just the latest move in Baker Hughes’ efforts to prepare its business for the energy transition. In April, the company said it would be putting €50 million behind a green hydrogen strategy as one of three companies with a plan to raise a total of €1 billion for a fund that is a down payment on the big challenge of scaling up a clean hydrogen infrastructure.
Last November, the company purchased Compact Carbon Capture, a startup whose core product is a modular CO2-capturing system that relies on high-speed rotating solvent-based beds that rely on static-based columns to absorb greenhouse gases.
The contractor has also signed a memorandum of understanding with a Norwegian startup to participate in a carbon capture and storage project in the Barents Sea, as well as confirmed its plans to become carbon net zero by 2050.
