Electrolyser deployed at Japanese auto part plant to replace natural gas

US hydrogen technology company Teledyne Energy Systems (TESI) has deployed a small-scale electrolyser at a Japanese automotive component manufacturer’s green hydrogen demonstration facility to replace natural gas.

Auto supplier JTEKT will use TESI’s Titan El Series alkaline system to produce hydrogen onsite, which will be used to offset the liquified natural gas consumption in furnaces for aluminium melting and die-casting.

Installed at JTKET’s “carbon neutral plant” in the Aichi Prefecture of Okazaki City, the electrolyser will be powered by on-site solar and renewable grid electricity.

According to TESI, replacing the burner’s fossil fuel with green hydrogen could reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 56 tonnes per year.

TESI’s Titan El Series systems offer between 60 and 90 kilogrammes of hydrogen production per day in a skid-mounted format.

Replacing fossil fuels in high-temperature heating and reduction processes with hydrogen can offer a route to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors where direct electrification is often impractical.

Hydrogen can deliver the required heat intensity while eliminating CO2 emissions.

However, efficiency losses across production, compression, and combustion make it more energy-intensive and costly than fossil alternatives.

Key barriers also remain with the availability of green hydrogen, limited infrastructure for storage and distribution, and the need for significant capital investment to retrofit or replace industrial systems.