Roundup: Hydrogen installation safety rules, shallow-depth geothermal bill

Hydrogen installation rules

The office of Chile’s comptroller general approved a proposed decree that establishes safety rules for fixed hydrogen installations.

The document, known as supreme decree No. 13 of 2022 and due to enter the statute books on June 24, sets out minimum safety requirements for stationary facilities that produce or consume hydrogen as an energy resource. 

The latter category encompasses the likes of fuel cells and combustion systems for industrial applications and power generation. 

Rules will apply across all phases of a project lifespan, from design and construction to operation, modification and eventual decommissioning. Electricity and fuels watchdog SEC will play a monitoring role.

The rule change is among goals and targets in Chile’s national hydrogen strategy of 2020 and its 2023-30 hydrogen action plan.

Hydrogen filling stations, hydrogen transport and distribution networks, hydrogen-powered vehicles and vehicles that transport hydrogen do not fall within the scope of the rules.

Chile has some 70 publicly announced green hydrogen projects, some targeting domestic offtake, others exports markets, while others are geared to both.

See the approved text in the Documents box in the top-right corner.

Shallow-depth geothermal bill

A bill that amends Chile’s geothermal concession framework and introduces other changes was greenlit by congress.

A key component is a measure that exempts, from having to obtain a geothermal concession, projects that tap geothermal resources at depths of less than 400m and with an average temperature of under 90°C.

The move is designed to help spur adoption of low-enthalpy – or shallow-depth – geothermal energy systems.

Establishment of a project registry and monitoring and safety rules are also proposed.

Projects that fall outside the depth and temperature parameters will have to apply for a concession. The concession framework was originally designed with utility-scale plants in mind.

Potential is seen in Chile for geothermal heat pump systems. With geothermal units, geothermal energy resources – the earth or groundwater – can be used with a heat pump to heat and cool homes, factories and greenhouses, among other applications. Some systems have been installed.

The beneficiaries of this measure range include the residential and industrial sectors, given that geothermal heat pumps can be installed anywhere where there is thermal demand and to satisfy a wide variety of applications. These range from small projects supplying heating and cooling to individual homes to larger projects for schools, hospitals and public buildings.

Additionally, these types of projects can be implemented in commercial buildings, tourism facilities, vineyard production, agribusiness and mining.

ALSO READ: How heat pumps can play a role in Chile’s 2050 net-zero push

Geothermal solutions, despite typically needing higher initial outlay, achieve greater efficiencies, and have potential to reduce energy usage by 70-80%, according to the US Department of Energy.

Simply put, heat pumps use electricity to transfer heat from a cool space to a warm space, and vice versa. An energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and traditional air conditioning units, heat pumps are being championed in the US and Europe as a tool to reduce carbon emissions produced by heating and cooling buildings.

The common variant is the air-source heat pump, which can absorb heat from air outside a building and release it inside, even when outdoor temperatures are low.