The City of St. Cloud buys Nel electrolyser for wastewater treatment facility

“In the future, the whole community of St. Cloud will use renewable hydrogen to decarbonize a wide range of sectors,” says the city’s Public Services Director, Tracy Hodel.

In St. Cloud, a city of about 70,000 people in central Minnesota, wastewater is being converted into fertilizer and fuel. Now, the city will start producing renewable hydrogen from solar power and biogas generated by the treatment process. The hydrogen can be used onsite for heating and power, stored when excess renewable energy is generated, and used when solar and biogas are unavailable. The project will also investigate the potential of capturing oxygen for use in the facility’s aeration system.

The wastewater treatment facility has initiated several new energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives, like solar panels and two biofuel generators installed on-site, along with onsite biogas storage. On days with high renewable energy production, this is sufficient to cover all the facility’s energy demand. In fact, the facility has been energy-neutral since 2020. During peak hours, with more renewable energy produced than the facility needs, they deliver electricity to the local grid. The facility is also subscribed to community solar garden credits off the grid.

St. Cloud is widely recognized for its sustainability leadership. The city produces three times as much energy as it consumes as a municipality. The goal is to become carbon neutral for its electrical use in 2028 and carbon neutral for electrical, building heat, and transportation in 2038.

Hodel envisions a future where the entire community is using hydrogen to decarbonize several sectors, including having the city’s fleet of vehicles, from squad cars to fire trucks and snowplows, using hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel source.

“Forging a path to a cleaner future, this innovative green hydrogen project stands as a bold testament to our community’s commitment to decarbonizing the energy and transportation sectors. It’s not just about embracing new technology; it’s about daring to lead with courage and vision to make a difference for tomorrow’s future,” says Hodel.

The plan is to start hydrogen production at the facility in 2025.

“It is inspiring to see the commitment to sustainability in the city of St. Cloud. We are proud to support them in their ambitious efforts to reach net zero,” says Steve Szymanski, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Nel.

Watch Tracy Hodel’s Tedx talk about the City of St. Cloud’s sustainability efforts: