Fuel cell maker Bloom Energy Corp. is entering the hydrogen production market with the commercial launch of a high-temperature electrolyzer capable of using thermal energy as a power source.

The launch differentiates Bloom Energy from most commercial electrolyzer producers, who chiefly offer low-temperature electrolyzers that rely entirely on electric power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. High-temperature electrolyzers use less electric power to split water, mitigating the operating cost barrier to hydrogen production.

Electrolyzers are the foundational technology behind green hydrogen, a zero-carbon form of the fuel produced using renewable electric power. Power producers, vehicle makers, gas utilities and manufacturers are all exploring the potential for low- and zero-carbon hydrogen to displace natural gas and fossil fuels in their operations.

When powered strictly by electric power, the Bloom Electrolyzer consumes 15% less electricity than low-temperature electrolyzers, the company said in a July 14 news release. When the electrolyzer also draws on an external heat source for power, it uses up to 45% less electricity than low-temperature models, it added.

The ability to use heat as a power source makes high-temperature electrolysis ideal for industrial companies, including steel, chemical, cement and glass makers, Bloom Energy said. The high-heat processes utilized in these manufacturing sectors are hard to electrify, and excess heat from those processes can be harnessed to power high-heat electrolyzers. That hydrogen can then be used to fuel furnaces, reducing or eliminating the need to transport hydrogen to the facility, Bloom Energy said.

The company noted that hydrogen produced from its new electrolyzer offering can also be used to power its legacy product, modular fuel cell systems capable of producing on-site electricity from natural gas, biogas and hydrogen. The high-temperature electrolyzer uses the same solid oxide technology and many of the same components behind the fuel cell systems, allowing the company to leverage existing supply chains to scale up electrolyzer production, according to Bloom Energy.

"The launch of the Bloom Electrolyzer is a big leap forward in our mission to enable and empower the global hydrogen economy and a decarbonized society," Bloom Energy Chairman and CEO KR Sridhar said in the release. "Hydrogen enables us to leverage abundant and inexpensive renewable energy to provide zero-carbon power, reliably — instead of intermittently."

Bloom Energy's fuel cells have not been immune to concerns around emissions from natural gas consumption. As more San Francisco Bay Area cities prohibit natural gas use in new buildings, San Jose-based Bloom Energy has recently secured exemptions for its fuel cell systems, arguing that they will increasingly be powered by zero-carbon hydrogen and renewable natural gas in the future.

The company expects commercial shipments of the Bloom Electrolyzer to begin in fall 2022. Asked about the up-front costs, a spokesperson for the company said Bloom Energy does not typically list capital costs because they vary based on system size, location, configuration and other factors.

Green hydrogen commands a significant cost premium over natural gas. Electrolyzer operators typically need to run them frequently to recoup capital costs, but they also require low electric power costs to operate them profitably.

Bloom Energy first piloted its electrolyzer technology in November 2020 with its South Korean partner, SK ecoplant Co.Ltd., at an industrial site in Changwon, South Korea. In May, the company announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory to power the Bloom Electrolyzer with excess electricity and steam from nuclear power plants. The same month, Bloom Energy launched a collaboration with Baker Hughes Co. that includes pairing electrolyzer and compression technology to produce, compress, transport and store hydrogen.