Summerland council catches the eye of Green Hydrogen Power

Summerland is the latest community in the South Okanagan to catch the eye of Green Hydrogen Power (GH), a Toronto-based firm planning to establish a plant that transforms waste aluminium into hydrogen and heat for use as an energy source.

The firm, formerly Frontenac Energy, presented its green-energy strategy to the Penticton council in August and then paid a visit to the Summerland council on Monday. The two municipalities run their electrical systems, which is unusual in British Columbia.

VP of business Steve Neil described hydrogen as an "essential pillar" for achieving net-zero emissions, estimating market size of $2.5 trillion.

"We plan to be a big part of that in this country and beyond," said Neil.

The unique method and procedure transform scrap aluminium — everything from community-sourced aluminium pop or beer cans to aluminium siding — into usable green hydrogen, alumina, and heat, which is then converted into energy. All of the aluminium would come from within the village and its environs.

According to Neill, it is a self-sustaining exothermic process, which means no external source of energy is required, lowering costs.

"Every manufacturer whether it's aircraft or fleet vehicles, they are all developing the vehicles of the future," added Neil.

Once the facility is up and operating at full capacity, GH Power's proposal for Summerland is a commercial power plant that will generate enough fuel for close to 3,000 houses and hydrogen to power 5,500 automobiles per year.

The firm is now running a small-scale version of the proposed plant in Toronto, which they claim validates the technology, and has already teamed with the City of Hamilton in Ontario to create a full-scale reactor that will open in March.