smart tech

Honeywell plans to launch world's first of hydrogen-ready gas meter

Honeywell’s European launch follows a Dutch test of the smart gas meter, which the company touts as the world’s first commercially available hydrogen-ready gas meter. Photo via honeywell.com

A Houston-based unit of industrial conglomerate Honeywell has unveiled a gas meter capable of measuring both hydrogen and natural gas.

Honeywell’s European launch follows a Dutch test of the EI5 smart gas meter, which the company touts as the world’s first commercially available hydrogen-ready gas meter.

“Honeywell’s hydrogen-capable meters are key to facilitating a seamless transition to hydrogen energy across European utility networks,” Kinnera Angadi, chief technology officer of smart energy and thermal solutions at Honeywell, says in a November 28 news release. “We’re enhancing operational efficiency with meters that are ready for the future, helping our customers stay ahead in a market that’s swiftly transitioning toward greener energy solutions.”

Among other products, Honeywell’s Houston-based Process Solutions unit supplies connected utility and metering technology like the new EI5 gas meter. In the Netherlands, Honeywell’s meters will be installed at residences by Dutch energy company Enexis Group.

A 2022 report from the Hydrogen Council indicates that hydrogen costs are expected to fall by 2030, making it competitive with other low-carbon option. This insight helped lead Enexis Group to commit to converting its main gas lines to hydrogen within the next three years.

“The transition to clean energy is as necessary as it is complex,” says Ruud Busscher, program manager for energy transit and Hydrogen at Enexis. “This project aims to challenge the way we operate by using an alternative to natural gas. We are finding out how the existing grid will be influenced by hydrogen and what new paths can be taken for a sustainable future.”

Trending News

A View From HETI

Fervo Energy's flagship Cape Station geothermal project is scheduled to start delivering power to the grid this year. Photo courtesy Fervo Energy

Three companies with headquarters in Houston made Time magazine’s new list of the 10 most influential energy companies.

The unranked list includes:

  • Houston-based oil and gas giant Chevron
  • Houston-based Fervo Energy, a geothermal power provider that just went public in a $1.9 billion IPO
  • Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston

In naming Chevron to the list, Time cites the company’s standing as the only major American oil company operating in Venezuela. Time says Chevron wields “extraordinary power” over Venezuela’s massive oil reserves.

Despite pressure from the White House on U.S. oil and gas producers to ramp up investments in Venezuela, “Chevron has pumped the brakes, pledging to boost output gradually and not chase price fluctuations,” Time says.

“Chevron has been in Venezuela for over a century,” CEO Mike Wirth told shareholders in January. “We remain committed to leveraging our deep expertise and long-standing partnerships for the benefit of our shareholders and the people of Venezuela.”

Time points out that Fervo sits “at the front of the pack” in generation of geothermal energy. The Houston-based company uses fracking techniques borrowed from the oil and gas industry to create underground hot-rock reservoirs that heat water to generate electricity.

Fervo’s Cape Station in Utah is scheduled to start delivering power to the grid this year. At full capacity of 500 megawatts, it will be the first large-scale commercial geothermal plant in the U.S. Time says another site in Utah, Project Blanford, is Fervo’s hottest well yet, highlighting the potential for harnessing geothermal heat for at-scale clean energy.

“It’s hard to find something that can [deliver] reliable 24/7 energy, that’s carbon-free, and can be constructed in a timely manner,” Fervo CEO Tim Latimer said. “It’s energy without a lot of the compromises.”

Government-owned Saudi Aramco, which last year earned $104.7 billion in profit, not only is a dominant player in the Mideast oil and gas sector, but Time says it holds “global clout in politics and business” that reaches far beyond oilfields. For example, the company finances big projects spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, who chairs Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. These include initiatives in global sports, tourism, and AI.

Trending News