Hitachi Energy rolled out its new mobile hydrogen fuel-cell generator recently at a live construction jobsite demonstration in which it charged one of its battery-electric excavators.
The HyFlex generator replaced an equivalent diesel generator at a test site in the Netherlands. Hitachi says a 500-kilovolt-amperes (kVA) HyFlex can be a charging solution for remote jobsites, saving up to 800 tons of diesel fuel per year and reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by 2,900 tons.
The event involved Hitachi Construction Machinery’s 14.5-metric-ton ZE135, its largest battery-electric excavator, which was launched in Europe last year. It achieves the same performance as the company’s 100-horsepower diesel ZX135-7 but with less noise and no emissions. It has a battery runtime of 6 hours per charge, depending on its use.
Hitachi Construction Machinery’s 14.5-metric-ton electric ZE135 was charged by Hitachi Energy's HyFlex hydrogen fuel cell generator during a demonstration of a carbon-free construction site.Hitachi Energy
The company’s HyFlex uses hydrogen fuel cells to produce electricity. It also produces usable heat. Its main emission is water, and it operates “nearly noise-free,” Hitachi Energy says. “To generate one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electrical energy, it consumes approximately 70 kilograms of green hydrogen.”
Along with construction sites, Hitachi says, the HyFlex generator could be used at mining operations to power electric equipment, such as dump trucks and excavators; noise-and pollution-sensitive areas; critical facilities that require an off-grid supply of power and/or heat, such as hospitals, data centers and hotels; and shore-to-ship power at ports.
“As the world’s largest hydrogen supplier, Air Products is proud to support this innovative step toward zero-emission construction,” said Caroline Stancell, Air Products vice president of marketing for Europe and Africa. “This demonstration proves that hydrogen-powered solutions are not just viable, they’re ready to perform in real-world conditions.”
Hitachi Energy's HyFlex hydrogen fuel-cell generator is designed to provide emissions-free electricity for remote construction sites and other uses.Hitachi Energy
