Chevron: Pioneering A Lower Carbon Future

Chevron is spearheading a groundbreaking initiative with its Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) Project, aimed at advancing a lower carbon future.

Chevron’s Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) Project is a testament to the company’s commitment to a sustainable energy future. | Photos: Chevron

The project, which leverages an electrolyzer to convert renewable energy sources like wind and solar into hydrogen, represents a significant stride towards sustainable energy solutions.

This hydrogen is then stored for later use, addressing one of the critical challenges in the renewable energy sector: storage and dispatchability.

Prerna Jain, Chevron’s integration and growth manager, is enthusiastic about the project's potential. “I believe the Advanced Clean Energy Storage Project is groundbreaking and will demonstrate hydrogen’s potential at scale,” Jain stated.

The ACES Project is not just about innovation; it's about paving the way for hydrogen to play a crucial role in the U.S. energy future.

By 2050, hydrogen is expected to comprise 12% of the global energy mix, significantly contributing to the availability and use of lower carbon energy.

Hydrogen’s potential was underscored by Austin Knight, Chevron’s vice president of Hydrogen, who chaired the National Petroleum Council’s report on hydrogen.

“This project helps meet the need for dispatchable lower carbon power generation,” Knight explained. The ACES Delta site in Utah, with its salt caverns for seasonal energy storage, is ideally located near renewable power sources and infrastructure.

This proximity enhances its ability to support U.S. climate goals by providing a cleaner alternative to high-carbon intensity fuels.

The International Energy Agency estimates global hydrogen use will exceed 150 million tonnes by 2030. The ACES site will demonstrate hydrogen's viability as a lower carbon energy source, marking a pivotal step from concept to reality.

Set to commence commercial operations in 2025, the project will supply hydrogen to the Intermountain Power Agency’s IPP Renewed Project, facilitating the transition to lower carbon power generation.

Jain highlights Chevron's strengths in project execution and safe, reliable operations.

“We are learning a lot from executing the first project at ACES—this experience sets us up with a competitive advantage as we develop other lower carbon hydrogen opportunities,” she noted.

By storing hydrogen for dispatch as needed, the project will increase the use of renewables in the energy mix, with the first phase capable of generating up to 100 metric tonnes of hydrogen per day.

Chevron’s ACES Project is a testament to the company’s commitment to a sustainable energy future.