The DeBary Green Hydrogen Project is a first of a kind project that will use power directly from a neighboring Duke Energy solar PV facility to produce hydrogen via PEM electrolysis to be compressed and stored in gaseous form. This green hydrogen can then be blended with natural gas or fired at 100% in an existing, retrofitted GE Vernova 7E peaking gas turbine to produce decarbonized power. This power to power (P2P) project presents a unique opportunity for Duke Energy and other utilities to produce their own carbon-free fuel for later use in clean power generation. The project began planning and development in the middle of 2022, began construction in 2023, and estimated to be commissioned in early 2025. Once commissioned, this project is expected to be the first E-class turbine operating on 100% hydrogen.

Duke Energy will present their vision when developing the project and how the project fits into the future of their generating portfolio. The discussion will cover permitting, site selection, project development, selecting the team, and project execution. The presentation will also cover how Duke Energy plans to learn from the project once operational and the application of these learnings to future hydrogen endeavors.

Sargent & Lundy, performing the engineering for Duke Energy on the Project, will walk through the different systems on the project required to create a fully functional integrated system. S&L will share several engineering decisions and challenges that the project overcame and how the system will operate once commissioned.

The presentation will introduce specific opportunities and challenges that many hydrogen project developers are bound to encounter.