The City of Lancaster, California, announced the Lancaster Planning Commission has approved Element Resources’ Lancaster Clean Energy Center – a renewable hydrogen production facility that will utilize photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays as its power supply.
The approval for the Clean Energy Center follows a 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Lancaster and Element Resources that formalized their partnership. The Lancaster Clean Energy Center is only one step in the plan to collaborate on developing Lancaster’s renewable hydrogen infrastructure, supply hydrogen locally, and work with other partners to expand the hydrogen supply chain.
The Clean Energy Center will be situated on two sites – the first on 442 acres of land and the second on 896 acres.
650 MW of ground-mounted PV solar arrays will power the center, and 330 MWh of long-duration battery energy storage will provide power during times of low solar output. The renewable hydrogen production plant will incorporate 400 Mwe of hydrogen production, as well as liquefied and gaseous hydrogen storage.
The site will also feature two cylindrical tanks and three spherical liquified hydrogen storage tanks, facilities for filling hydrogen transport trailers and zero-emissions hydrogen vehicles and trucks, control and office buildings, warehouse and service buildings, and cooling towers.
“We look forward to working with the City of Lancaster to further this project and generate economic opportunity for the local community and accelerate California’s efforts to meet its ambitious emissions targets,” said Steve Meheen, Chairman and CEO of Element Resources.
