Capstone is now Capstone Green Energy

Capstone Turbines, a manufacturer of microturbines, announced the company is now Capstone Green Energy Corporation. As part of its announcement, the company outlined its ongoing organic hydrogen product development goals and recent pursuit of external research and development funding via multiple government cost share programs. Their new initiatives are driven by advances in a broad range of hydrogen technologies and longer-term infrastructure planning.

“Our name is changing to reflect our evolution as a Company and the developments we are planning,” said Capstone Green Energy Chief Executive Officer, Darren Jamison. “While we have a new name, Capstone's mission and goals for the future remain resolute, and that is to be a highly trusted partner providing energy conversion systems, microgrid solutions, energy as a service, and strategic energy management. Capstone Green Energy will help customers build and maintain smart energy infrastructure and engage with them as a long-term service provider and partner for their critical carbon saving initiatives.”

Through long-standing federal, university, and international research partnerships, Capstone Green Energy has developed patented technology for the use of hydrogen and works closely with these agencies in its determination to provide smarter energy solutions for a cleaner energy future.

“We continue to explore the ever-changing energy landscape for complementary partners, technologies, and applications that enable carbon reduction goals to be achieved. Hydrogen product development, hydrogen conversion technologies, hybrid systems, microgrids, and thermal storage are all energy areas that Capstone is currently pursuing,” said Jamison.

Hydrogen Background

Hydrogen is not naturally abundant and therefore must be created directly, or as a byproduct of another process. The predominant method that accounts for nearly all commercially produced hydrogen is steam reforming of natural gas. This is commonly referred to as Grey Hydrogen and involves significant carbon emissions. Blue Hydrogen is formed the same way, but the produced carbon is captured and sequestered. The long-term promising method for producing hydrogen is electrolysis, which is splitting the hydrogen out of water, commonly called Green Hydrogen. Green Hydrogen is created by power generated from carbon-free energy resources such as wind, solar or maybe even small modular nuclear reactors.

Green Hydrogen Development

Green hydrogen is experiencing a global resurgence and has been identified as a clean energy source. The Biden administration is promising that the U.S. will be able to access Green Hydrogen at the same cost as conventional hydrogen within a decade as part of the President's proposed Clean Energy Plan. Several countries around the world are ahead of the U.S. in developing Green Hydrogen technologies including Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Australia.

Capstone Hydrogen Products

Capstone Green Energy is continuing to expand and develop its new Hydrogen Solutions business line. The company recently released its first commercially available hydrogen-based Combined Heat and Power (CHP) product, which can safely run on a 10% hydrogen - 90% natural gas mix, and the Company is targeting a commercial release of 30% hydrogen - 70% natural gas mix product by March 31, 2022. Through its Research and Development partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, the company is currently testing a 70% hydrogen - 30% natural gas configuration. Argonne National Laboratory is a national science and technology research laboratory operated by the University of Chicago Argonne LLC for the United States Department of Energy. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline.

“Natural gas utilities around the world are looking at blending hydrogen into pipelines, not just to fuel power plants or industrial processes, but also to serve homes and businesses,” said Don Ayers, Senior Director of Engineering and Quality at Capstone Green Energy. “While early-stage tests are keeping hydrogen concentrations below 20 percent, several utilities hope to carry 100 percent hydrogen in future years as part of the emphasis on finding green replacements for fuel supplies as well as electricity.”

In addition to its current organic research and development efforts, Capstone Green Energy said that it is aggressively pursuing additional funding opportunities announced by the Department of Energy, state agencies, utilities, and with its industry and academia alliances. Such external additional funding would further augment Capstone's existing internal Research and Development efforts. It would also provide the springboard to accelerate development efforts to commercialize the Company's patented hydrogen fuel injector and hydrogen combustion technology as an efficient, reliable, safe, and carbon-free power generation solution.