Wärtsilä has begun validation of a 100% hydrogen engine in Bermeo, northern Spain, in what it describes as the world’s first large-scale demonstration of a pure hydrogen engine connected to a national electricity grid. The trial is a key step in proving that engine technology can run on fully sustainable fuel and provide dispatchable power when wind and solar output dip.
The engine under test is the Wärtsilä 31H2, part of the Wärtsilä 31 platform, and the company says it is the world’s largest pure hydrogen engine. Wärtsilä says the demonstration builds on its earlier launch of a large-scale hydrogen-ready engine power plant and shows a path from hydrogen readiness to hydrogen operation.
The company says the trial matters because grids are becoming more dependent on variable renewables, which increases the need for flexible capacity that can respond quickly to demand spikes or periods of low renewable generation. Hydrogen-fired engines could help fill that gap while avoiding carbon emissions from combustion.
Wärtsilä also says the Bermeo site is a useful proving ground because Spain has a strong renewable base and is seeking ways to reduce exposure to fossil fuel volatility. The company is positioning the technology for use in grid support, industrial power and other applications where reliable low-carbon backup is needed.
Rasmus Teir, Wärtsilä’s director of technology strategy and decarbonisation, said the technology is ready and now needs the right regulatory and investment environment to scale.
