By Breanna Sandridge, Senior Editor
In partnership with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Mote Inc. is constructing a biomass-to-hydrogen and carbon-sequestering plant in Sacramento, California, which will produce approximately 21,000 MTPY of carbon-negative hydrogen through the gasification of woody waste for use in thermal power generation and transportation.
“On our path toward a sustainable future, SMUD remains dedicated to harnessing the power of our partnerships and technologies to create green energy solutions and opportunities for the entire region,” said SMUD Chief Zero Carbon Officer Lora Anguay. “We are driving positive environmental change, championing large-scale utility decarbonization, and fostering an equitable transition toward a clean energy economy and future that benefits all communities.”
Supported by US$1.2 million in grant funding from the United States Forest Service, the California Department of Conservation, and the California Department of Forestry, the facility will utilize up to 300,000 MTPY of forest residues and wood waste from regional forest management programmes to produce the hydrogen. The facility will also sequester more than 450,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually in underground saline aquifers.
“There is a pressing need for durable, large-scale carbon removal and scalable solutions that provide low-cost, clean hydrogen in the ongoing energy transition. Mote’s technology does both,” said Mote CEO Joshuah Stolaroff. “Our use of wastes to fight climate change saves money, land, and resources compared to alternative options.”
Recently, Mote also received a formal invitation to submit a Part II application to the Department of Energy Loan Programmes Office Title 17 Clean Energy Financing programme. This programme, which has a max budget of US$300 billion for clean energy, facility decarbonization, and energy infrastructure reinvestment projects, can provide loan guarantees up to 80 per cent of eligible project costs.
