After the Fukushima incident, hydrogen became the only sustainable way for Japan’s energy security. Thus, Japanese companies were called by the government to come up with hydrogen-based solutions, and Kawasaki began by building a ship to transport liquid hydrogen, later developing all the other applications.
“This is probably why Japanese companies are among the most advanced in the field of hydrogen,” said Shahrad Adjili, Head of Sales, Kawasaki Gas Turbines Europe, at the Regional Approach Brussels – Energy Transition conference organized by Energynomics.
Kawasaki was the first company in the world to produce a transport vessel for liquid hydrogen
At the same time, Kawasaki built the first hydrogen-based cogeneration plant in Kobe, Japan. Here, the plant uses 100% hydrogen, producing 1.7 MWe, but natural gas can also be used in the combustion process.
Kawasaki has been involved in shipbuilding for 150 years, and in the construction of power plants and gas turbines for 50 years, Adjili said. Kawasaki Gas Turbine Europe started operating in Germany in 1975, and since 2018 it has an office opened in Bucharest.
“Today many industries use cogeneration, so we have industrial applications in many sectors. At the same time, Kawasaki is one of the leaders in the low-emission gas turbine industry. We are interested in installing, in the near future, standard 100 MW solutions in combined cycle applications (CCPP), as we have already done in Japan. Kawasaki also provides hybrid solutions for the chemical industry. We are the only ones in the world that produce not only gas turbines, but also engines, so we can offer high-efficiency hybrid solutions for the industry”, he added.
