It’s no secret Alberta Premier Danielle Smith loves trains. It’s also no secret her government is a big advocate for hydrogen production in the province..Now the provincial government is putting them both together with $45 million to power new hydrogen technologies for use in locomotives as part of its emissions reduction strategy..Now the government will launch two hydrogen funding competitions using the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund — Alberta’s industrial carbon tax — to position the province as a global leader in what is expected to be a $2.5 to $11 trillion economy by 2050..Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz made the announcement at the Ogden railyards in southeast Calgary on Tuesday. In an interview with The Western Standard, she said hydrogen will be the centerpiece of Alberta’s drive to net-zero of the next quarter century..“Alberta is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and, as we are already a leader in this field, this competition will explore and advance clean hydrogen technologies while generating fresh, exciting new projects and ideas,” she said.. Hydrogen locomotivesAlberta press conference at Ogden rail yards. .In a news release the government said the new funding will drive “cutting-edge and first-of-their-kind hydrogen technologies” to be used in production, transmission and distribution, storage and in industries such as heavy-duty transportation, industrial heat and chemicals. It will explore innovative technologies rather than what is currently commercially available..“The hydrogen economy is the next frontier for Alberta. The province is the largest producer of hydrogen and has the people, resources and infrastructure in place to move us into the new economy,” added Alberta Innovates CEO Laura Kilcrease, which will disburse the grants along with Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) which administers the TIER fund..“Partnerships like this allow for producers, innovators and industry to come together and test their hydrogen ideas. Ultimately this will help Alberta capitalize on new innovation opportunities that generate benefits beyond the energy value chain.”.A total of $20 million through the Alberta Innovates’ Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, with $25 million for later-stage technology, is available through AER in parallel competitions. .Applications for both are now open. The ERA application closes on Sept. 22 and Sept. 26 for the Alberta Innovates competition..To date, ERA has dumped more than $60 million from the TIER fund into hydrogen technologies across the value chain, including a net-zero production complex, hydrogen-powered transit buses, and Canadian Pacific’s hydrogen locomotive – North America’s first line-haul hydrogen-powered locomotive using fuel cells and batteries for power..Even federal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson — who declined to attend Tuesday’s announcement — chipped in $5 million through its Energy Innovation Program..“Hydrogen is a vital technology in the path towards a low-carbon future. Technologies like this are helping to create good jobs across Canada as we build a strong and prosperous economy,” he said in a statement..The CPR will initially use so-called ‘green’ hydrogen, generated from an on-site electrolyzer powered from solar panels also on site and distributed through mobile fueling stations. ‘Blue’ hydrogen is produced from natural gas..The locomotives themselves — three of them — will use fuel cells built by Vancouver-based Ballard. Innisfail-based Bilton Welding and Manufacturing will perform the diesel conversions of the engines..However, challenges remain in building out large scale production and transportation infrastructure in the province..A dedicated piping network is being built in the Edmonton area but ERA’s Reimer told The Western Standard that large-scale transportation is usually facilitated in the form of anhydrous ammonium which is typically shipped by rail..Alberta Innovates’ Kilcrease added the purpose of the funds is to demonstrate solid — and safe — proof of concept technologies before moving ahead with full scale production and distribution.
