- Akasaka Heating & Cooling Supply will integrate green hydrogen into its Akasaka 5-chome district heating system.
- The project, the first of its kind in central Tokyo, will reduce CO₂ emissions by replacing city gas with hydrogen.
Akasaka Heating & Cooling Supply will use green hydrogen from an undisclosed location in Japan. It will generate heat and electricity for its Akasaka 5-chome district heating system in Minato-ku, central Tokyo.
The Japanese energy supplier has announced this plan. It is the first district heating and cooling company in central Tokyo to use green hydrogen. Akanetsu wants to cut CO2 emissions by using green hydrogen in fuel cells and replacing some city gas.
The company will transport the green hydrogen by truck to its underground facility in Tokyo. It will store the gas in 1,350 regular cubic meter (Nm3) hydrogen storage alloy tanks. These tanks store hydrogen safely by adsorbing it onto a special alloy, reducing its gas volume to one-thousandth of its original size.
Unlike conventional liquefied hydrogen tanks, these tanks keep hydrogen at a low pressure of less than 1 megapascal (MPa). The system is safe for indoor installation because the alloys do not ignite near fire.
Akanetsu will use Panasonic fuel cell systems. It will install them by October 2025 and start operations by January 2026. Each system has a 5 kW capacity. The system will generate electricity for in-plant use, and power LED lights, air conditioning, and emergency outlets.
The company will mix the remaining hydrogen 50:50 with natural gas 13A. It will use this mixture in two hydrogen-mixing combustion boilers. Each boiler will provide heating for several buildings in the district, with a converted steam volume of 2,000 kilograms per hour (kg/h).