Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. has made a landmark move in Japan’s hydrogen industry by starting to manufacture and sell hydrogen using an Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) water electrolyzer at the “Senju Hydrogen Station.” This makes it the first of its kind in Japan.
Since its inception in 2016, the Senju Hydrogen Station has been selling hydrogen produced from city gas on the premises. As of the end of the last fiscal year, the station transitioned to using 100% renewable electricity with a non-fossil certificate, enabling the production and sale of hydrogen.
The AEM water electrolysis equipment is a new technology, currently underused due to its novelty. However, it offers significant benefits such as a simple structure, flexibility in adjusting the hydrogen production volume by combining small modules, and the potential to reduce the cost of cell stacks.
Through the integration of the AEM water electrolyzer at the Senju Hydrogen Station, Tokyo Gas aims to gain insights on the suitable system configuration and operation management. It intends to support the introduction of AEM water electrolyzers at a scale that matches the actual hydrogen use in factories and hydrogen stations, thus fostering the development of a hydrogen supply business.
The AEM water electrolyzer, manufactured by Enapter, consists of 30 modules and has a hydrogen production capacity of 15 Nm3/h. The modules can be operated individually, offering redundancy that allows continuous operation of the entire facility in the event of a single failure.
Furthermore, to increase the operating rate of the hydrogen production equipment, hydrogen will be produced even at night and stored at less than 1 MPa in an introduced hydrogen tank.
The Tokyo Gas Group aims to achieve the “challenge to net zero CO2” as outlined in its management vision “Compass 2030.” This will be accomplished through striving for early realization of technological development for decarbonization and taking the lead in achieving net-zero CO2. Tokyo Gas Group’s efforts will contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral, decarbonized society by 2050.
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