Sourcing Renewables  -  July 21, 2021

Cities in Japan and Calif. Collaborate on Hydrogen

The mayors of Namie, Japan, and Lancaster, Calif., agreed July 19 to adopt hydrogen as their primary green energy strategy in their respective cities through a unique collaboration.

The two mayors signed a Memorandum of Understanding through a virtual event taking place simultaneously in Japan and California. The two cities will partner to share knowledge, contacts, best practices and economic development strategies around hydrogen uptake.

Both cities have also become a recent hub for hydrogen development and use. Namie Town recently constructed the largest solar-powered hydrogen production unit in the world as a way to rebuild its energy systems after the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima. Lancaster has also attracted over $2 billion in solar investments since 2019, developed its own green energy utility and in 2019 became the U.S.’s first net-zero city.

“Japan and the United States are natural allies in many fields,” Consul General Muto said in a statement. “Beginning with the collaboration between these two far-thinking cities, where both hydrogen production and end-use consumption will be fully explored, I expect this exciting relationship will help show the way towards building a hydrogen energy value-chain and a Hydrogen Society on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.”

The two cities will use the partnership to increase investment and research in hydrogen projects and in infrastructure to support a hydrogen energy system.