Methane Reduction Tech Firm Bags $6MM Grant from DOE

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Methane Reduction Tech Firm Bags $6MM Grant from DOE

Sustainable energy technology firm Hyliion Holdings Corp. has secured a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Methane Emissions Reduction Program. Hyliion plans to install up to two megawatts of KARNO generators in collaboration with oil and gas partners, the Austin, Texas-based company said in a news release. The project represents a […]

Sustainable energy technology firm Hyliion Holdings Corp. has secured a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Methane Emissions Reduction Program.

Hyliion plans to install up to two megawatts of KARNO generators in collaboration with oil and gas partners, the Austin, Texas-based company said in a news release. The project represents a total of $8.4 million in federal and non-federal funding. The funding awarded to Hyliion is contingent upon the completion of final negotiations and the execution of a definitive agreement with the U.S. DOE.

Hyliion said the project will demonstrate the KARNO generator’s unique ability to operate on wellhead gas to produce sustainable, near-zero emissions electricity. The KARNO generator is an “innovative linear generation system powered by heat and enabled by 3D metal printing,” the company stated, adding that its design allows for long maintenance-free operation, making it ideal for remote and demanding environments like oil fields.

Additionally, the technology’s flexibility to operate on more than 20 fuel types, including raw field gas, “ensures it can adapt to diverse energy needs while reducing environmental impact,” Hylion noted.

“The KARNO generator is redefining what’s possible in sustainable energy production by turning waste gas that would normally be flared into valuable power,” Thomas Healy, Founder and CEO of Hyliion, said. “This funding opportunity allows us to demonstrate the potential of our innovative technology in providing meaningful solutions to combat methane emissions in the oil and gas industry”.

In 2023, Hyliion said it successfully tested gas from the Permian Basin, highlighting the generator’s fuel-agnostic design and its capability to utilize unprocessed gas.

Hyliion said it is committed to creating innovative solutions that enable clean, flexible and affordable electricity production. The company is initially targeting the commercial and waste management industries with a locally deployable generator that can offer prime power as well as energy arbitrage opportunities. Beyond stationary power, Hyliion also aims to address mobile applications such as vehicles and marine.

The company’s primary focus is to provide distributed power generators that can operate on various fuel sources to future-proof against an ever-changing energy economy, it stated.

The DOE and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the selection of 43 methane reduction projects for potential funding totaling about $850 million. The selected beneficiaries are composed of 20 private companies, 11 universities and one tribal consortium.

“The selected projects support the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy to reduce harmful methane emissions across economic sectors”, the DOE said in a separate statement. “These efforts are accelerating reductions in methane emissions, supporting clean air and public health, creating good jobs, and advancing President Biden’s ambitious climate goals”.

According to the statement, $350 million for 14 states announced December 15, 2023, had also been finalized, meant to help the states support industry efforts to cut methane emissions from wells on non-federal lands and support the environmental restoration of well sites. The announcements are part of a total of $1.36 billion in financial and technical aid under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Methane Emissions Reduction Program.

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