By Kenji Kaneko, Nikkei BP CleanTech Institute

Technology Apr. 16, 2015 - 06:30AM JST ( 0 )

TOKYO —

Toshiba Corp has opened a Hydrogen Energy Development Center in Fuchu City, Tokyo.

The company installed a solar power generation system, water electrolyzer, hydrogen tank, energy management system and fuel cell unit in a building with an area of 900 square meters.

Toshiba said it aims to commercialize, for example, an energy system that generates hydrogen by using renewable energy, stores it and uses it as electric power. It employed the newly-developed “solid oxide electrolyzer,” which generates hydrogen with a high efficiency by using water and electricity, to store power generated with the solar power generation system as hydrogen and use it for the fuel cell unit.

Also, the company will test the system with the aim of commercializing it and use the building for displaying its hydrogen-related technologies.

Toshiba said it will strengthen the development and verification of its hydrogen-related solutions, which combine renewable energy-based power generation systems, water electrolyzers, fuel cells and the group’s other hydrogen-related technologies. It aims for sales of ¥100 billion in fiscal 2020 only with its hydrogen-related businesses. The Hydrogen Energy Development Center is part of the efforts to achieve that goal.

Toshiba said it is planning to import low-cost hydrogen generated at large-scale wind power plants outside Japan and establish a hydrogen supply chain that generates electricity at hydrogen-fired gas turbine power plants by 2025. It aims to stably store and supply clean power without building a large-scale power network.