Japanese energy supplier to use green hydrogen for district heating, power

Japanese energy supplier Akasaka Heating & Cooling Supply has revealed plans to use green hydrogen to produce heat and electricity for the Akasaka 5-chome district heating system in Minato-ku, central Tokyo.

“This new development marks the first such initiative for a district heating and cooling company in central Tokyo,” the company added. “By harnessing green hydrogen to generate electricity with fuel cells and switching some fuels from city gas, Akanetsu aims to help reduce CO2 emissions in the production of cooling and heat.”

Akasaka Heating & Cooling Supply will source green hydrogen from an undisclosed location in Japan and transport it by truck to its underground facility in Tokyo. The hydrogen will be stored in 1,350 normal cubic meter (Nm3) hydrogen storage alloy tanks.

The company said the alloy tanks safely and compactly store hydrogen by adsorbing it onto a special alloy, reducing its gas volume to one-thousandth of its original size. Unlike conventional liquefied hydrogen tanks and high-pressure containers, hydrogen adsorbed on storage alloys is handled at a low pressure of less than 1 megapascal (MPa). The use of non-hazardous alloys that do not ignite near fire ensures the system is safe for installation inside buildings.

Akanetsu said it will integrate the hydrogen with Panasonic fuel cell systems, set for installation by October 2025 and operational by January 2026. Each system will have a 5 kW capacity and generate electricity for in-plant use, supplying power to LED lights, air conditioning, and emergency outlets.

The remaining hydrogen will be blended 50:50 with natural gas 13A and used in two hydrogen-mixing combustion boilers, each with a converted steam volume of 2,000 kilograms per hour (kg/h). The boilers will supply heating to a group of buildings in the district.