Peoples, a natural gas service company, is leading a project in Western Pennsylvania that will attempt to create zero-emission hydrogen energy at the scale needed for widespread adoption.
The test is being conducted with support from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering and Pittsburgh-based energy technology start-up company H Quest.
“Our mission to provide safe, reliable, and affordable natural gas is based on a commitment to make lives better,” Peoples President Michael Huwar said. “That commitment means pursuing innovations that leverage our local abundance of natural gas while placing a focus on decarbonization. At the same time, we have a regulatory commitment to purchase gas at the lowest cost for our customers. Supporting technological advancements that allow hydrogen to be produced at a scale that makes H2 (hydrogen) affordable is critically important.”
Peoples installed a H Quest’s microwave pyrolysis units at its McKeesport training center to transform natural gas into pure H2 without carbon dioxide emissions. Peoples assess the impact on physical pipeline operations and various home appliances by blending the hydrogen with natural gas at various ratios.
What is produced is not inserted into distribution lines that serve customers.
Peoples provides natural gas service to approximately 740,000 homes and businesses in Western Pennsylvania and Kentucky.