Federal Government Awards Pasadena Company Exclusive Right to Arizona Energy Zone for Green Hydrogen Production

Pasadena-headquartered Heliogen Inc. said the United States Bureau of Land Management has awarded the company the exclusive right to lease land in the Brenda Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) in La Paz County, Arizona.

The company said it intends to develop a green hydrogen facility on the site – situated on 3,343 acres of land on the California border – that will be capable of producing about 20,000 metric tonnes of hydrogen per year.

The Brenda SEZ has direct access to Interstate 10 for distribution of hydrogen to nearby natural gas pipelines for blending and transport, as well as to the Phoenix metropolitan area and the Port of Los Angeles for domestic and international shipping.

“The Brenda SEZ is an ideal location for commercial-scale green hydrogen production due to the ample local water supply and its close proximity to potential offtake partners and key distribution channels,” Bill Gross, Heliogen CEO, said. “We look forward to providing updates on our plans to develop the facility and will leverage our proprietary, AI-enabled concentrated solar power technology to produce cost-effective green hydrogen.”

In November 2021, Heliogen and San Jose-based Bloom Energy Corp. successfully generated green hydrogen by integrating Heliogen’s concentrated solar energy system and Bloom Energy’s solid oxide high-temperature electrolyzer during a hydrogen production demonstration in Lancaster. The demonstration showed the benefits of combining the two companies’ complementary green power and hydrogen production technologies.

Heliogen’s AI-enabled concentrated solar energy system is designed to create non-intermittent carbon-free steam, electricity, and heat from sunlight. When combined with Bloom Energy’s Electrolyzer, the system can produce hydrogen at 45-percent more efficiency compared with low-temperature PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) and alkaline electrolyzers.

By using less electricity, Heliogen’s hydrogen production technology is more economical. In addition, the ability to use heat – a much lower-cost energy source compared with electricity – further improves the economics of green hydrogen production.

As a renewable energy technology company, Heliogen is focused on eliminating the need for fossil fuels in heavy industry and on powering a sustainable future. Its AI-enabled modular concentrated solar technology aims to deliver carbon-free energy in the form of heat, power, or green hydrogen fuel at scale.

Heliogen was created at Idealab, the leading technology incubator founded by Bill Gross in Pasadena in 1996. For more information, visit www.Heliogen.com.