Mega-retailer Amazon has completed the installation of its first electrolyzer system, enabling a sustainable supply of hydrogen fuel for low-emissions forklift trucks at its logistics facility in Aurora, Colorado.
Built by the fuel cell solutions provider Plug Power Inc., the one-megawatt (MW) proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is the first for Amazon and is producing low-carbon hydrogen to fuel more than 225 hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklift trucks at the site, known as DEN8.
The unit uses electricity and water to produce hydrogen, compresses it on site, and stores it in a gaseous hydrogen storage tank. That tank can support a fleet of up to 400 hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklift trucks.
The project is part of a deal that Amazon signed with Plug Power in 2022 to supply 10,950 tons of green hydrogen per year for its transportation and building operations starting in 2025. That is enough annual power for 30,000 forklifts or 800 heavy-duty trucks, and is part of Amazon’s quest to be net-zero carbon by 2040, the company said.
Plug Power has already deployed more than 17,000 fuel cells for Amazon to replace batteries in forklifts at more than 80 fulfillment centers in North America. But most of these locations rely on hydrogen that is produced elsewhere, liquified, and delivered by trucks to an on-site storage and dispensing system.
At the Colorado site, Plug saw an opportunity to avoid the emissions generated by liquifying and transporting hydrogen from one site to another. Instead, the electrolyzer uses available surplus power, since more renewable electricity is generated in that region than the site needs at a given time.
“Hydrogen is an important tool in our efforts to decarbonize our operations by 2040 in support of The Climate Pledge, and we’re excited about our ability to produce hydrogen at Amazon facilities through this partnership with Plug,” Asad Jafry, the director of global hydrogen economy at Amazon, said in a release. “On-site production will make the use of hydrogen even more energy efficient for certain locations and types of facilities.”
