Duke Energy Florida has introduced the DeBary Hydrogen Production Storage System in Volusia County, marking what the company says is the first demonstration project in the United States to use a full system for producing, storing, and combusting up to 100% green hydrogen.
The system operates by using energy from Duke Energy Florida’s DeBary solar site to power two electrolyzer units. These units separate water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The oxygen is released into the atmosphere, while the green hydrogen is stored in reinforced containers.
When energy demand peaks, stored green hydrogen is delivered to an upgraded combustion turbine equipped with GE Vernova technology. This turbine can operate on a blend of natural gas and hydrogen or entirely on hydrogen.
According to Duke Energy Florida, this process increases flexibility for natural gas turbines and diversifies its generation fleet as it expands renewable energy sources. Since green hydrogen can be used on demand, turbines are not limited by time of day or weather conditions. This supports more intermittent renewable sources like solar power while maintaining reliability for customers.
“Diverse generation is strong, reliable generation,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “The DeBary hydrogen project underscores Duke Energy Florida’s deep understanding of that notion and our commitment to making strategic infrastructure investments that will allow us to continue providing value for our customers while meeting their rapidly increasing demand for energy.”
Reggie Anderson, vice president of regulated and renewable energy at Duke Energy Florida, stated: “The DeBary system allows for safe, reliable generation and storage of clean energy. Duke Energy Florida is proud of this successful innovation and the lasting impact it will have on our industry, our company and, most importantly, our customers.”
Duke Energy Florida supplies electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile area in Florida with 12,300 megawatts of capacity. Its parent company Duke Energy serves 8.4 million electric utility customers across several states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The company also owns 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity collectively through its subsidiaries.
Duke Energy continues to invest in grid upgrades and cleaner forms of power generation such as natural gas, nuclear energy, renewables and storage technologies as part of its broader transition strategy.
More information about Duke Energy’s initiatives can be found at its News Center.
