The Edmonton region has its foot on the gas when it comes to reducing carbon emissions and using cleaner energy to fuel vehicles, homes and industry.
Hydrogen, to be precise.
As Canada’s largest producer of the gas, the Edmonton area is a hotbed of hydrogen innovation—from how we make it to how we use it.
“We’ve got a really strong ecosystem here that’s trying to prepare itself for the hydrogen opportunities that we see coming,” says Brent Lakeman.
“Many of the world’s companies are looking to bring their hydrogen technologies to our region for deployment.”
He’s the executive director of the Edmonton Region Hydrogen Hub, Canada’s first and largest hydrogen hub. The group is dedicated to helping local industry, businesses and municipalities build a thriving hydrogen economy and create thousands of new jobs—and providing an example for other regions across Canada to follow.
More than $30 billion in new hydrogen projects are anticipated in Edmonton. Here are a few that are already underway:
Why hydrogen? The gas doesn’t release any carbon when used, only water vapor and heat. Preliminary findings indicate that hydrogen can be used as an alternative to electric batteries for long-haul heavy-duty trucking and energy-intensive industries such as refineries, chemical production and steel manufacturing.
“Last year, Edmonton Global commissioned a major study and it suggests battery electric technologies can work for a lot of vehicles,” says Lakeman.
“But when we start to talk about long-haul trucks going up and down the Edmonton-Calgary corridor or all the way to Prince Rupert, Fort McMurray or Vancouver, we don’t actually have a battery electric technology that can pull those weights. Hydrogen potentially can.”
Edmonton’s Diesel Tech Industries (DTI) is making it easier and more affordable for large and long-haul vehicles to make the transition to hydrogen. DTI has designed a dual-fuel system that allows transit buses, motor coaches, waste trucks and Class 8 trucks to use diesel and hydrogen.
“You still have your diesel tanks, but now you’ve also got hydrogen tanks, so your range actually increases,” says Rebecca Goldsack, the chief operating officer of DTI.
“If you run out of hydrogen, you run on diesel. So until hydrogen’s available on every street corner, our dual-fuel system will help with the transition and keep these vehicles on the road.”
DTI recently installed its system in several City of Edmonton vehicles—including two waste trucks and two ETS buses—as part of a two-year pilot program. The City is also leasing two mobile hydrogen fueling stations, funded by the Government of Alberta’s Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) grant.
These City initiatives are part of its Community Energy Transition Strategy to cut Edmonton’s carbon emissions in half by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Transportation produces almost a third of those emissions.
DTI’s goal is to install a few thousand dual-fuel systems in fleets across Canada over the next few years. The system costs a fraction of the price of a new hydrogen fuel cell bus.
“This dual fuel is our latest and greatest baby and, being from Edmonton, I have a lot of pride when I see it driving down the road,” says Goldsack.
“I know our organization can make a huge impact. I know that we can help hydrogen grow and help clean up our environment. I have two sons and I want to make sure that this next generation is able to have the life that I had. Hopefully, I can make a difference.”
She’s also the chair of the board of directors of Hydrogen Alberta, a group that promotes the growth of the hydrogen economy across the province.
“Hydrogen feels like a little family,” says Goldsack.
Each year, more than 2.5 million tonnes of hydrogen is produced in the Edmonton area; most of it is used in the refinery sector.
Hydrogen produced in such large quantities requires extremely high temperatures—either powered by natural gas or electricity—and generates significant greenhouse gas emissions.
Edmonton’s Dark Matter Materials (DMM) has come up with a way, developed by Dr. Robin Hamilton, to produce cheaper and cleaner hydrogen on a smaller scale at much lower temperatures.
His method involves mixing earth-abundant metals with almost any type of water—even contaminated—to create hydrogen. Hamilton made the discovery while working as a research associate at the University of Alberta’s Department of Chemistry.
Based on his breakthrough, DMM is prototyping a catalytic hydrogen generator for use in homes, remote communities or disaster relief. DMM received a $100,000 grant from the City’s Edmonton Edge Fund to design and test the prototype.
“Hopefully, we’ll change communities and change the way people do things,” says Dr. David Antoniuk, chief executive officer of DMM.
Editor’s note: the first image on this page features Brent Lakeman, executive director of the Edmonton Region Hydrogen Hub, with one of YEG Airport’s Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles. Photo courtesy of Edmonton Global.
Read about life in Edmonton—stories of business, innovation and the people who make it happen.
Read about life in Edmonton—stories of business, innovation and the people who make it happen.
Read about life in Edmonton—stories of business, innovation and the people who make it happen.