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36 min ago 2 min read
Clean technology specialist NewHydrogen has partnered with nuclear microreactor developer NuCube Energy to explore using advanced nuclear technology for high-temperature hydrogen production in the US.
Under a signed memorandum of understanding (MoU), the companies will evaluate the technical and commercial potential of integrating NuCube’s NuSun nuclear microreactor with NewHydrogen’s ThermoLoop thermochemical hydrogen production process.
The study will focus on whether nuclear heat can be used to drive ThermoLoop’s thermochemical water-splitting process and reduce hydrogen production costs compared with conventional methods.
Steve Hill, CEO of NewHydrogen, described high-temperature heat as the key to unlocking the full economic potential of thermochemical hydrogen production.
He added that the collaboration could help accelerate the commercial pathway for ThermoLoop.
NewHydrogen’s ThermoLoop system uses thermochemical water splitting – an alternative to electrolysis -separating water into hydrogen and oxygen using thermal energy.
The most common process for clean hydrogen production is electrolysis, using energy from solar and wind. This process relies on renewable electricity, which is expensive and accounts for 73% of the cost of production.
The companies will assess whether heat from NuCube’s NuSun nuclear microreactor system could be used to scale lower-cost hydrogen production.
