Wärtsilä fires up the world's first large-scale pure hydrogen engine in Bermeo, Spain
Wärtsilä unveils in Bermeo, Spain, the first 100% hydrogen engine at large scale. Energy efficiency or subsidy? The debate over thermodynamics and storage.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The world's first 100% pure hydrogen engine is now running in Bermeo, Spain: real breakthrough or subsidised mirage?
The laboratory that Finnish multinational Wärtsilä operates in Bermeo (Bizkaia) has started up what it presents as the world's first large-scale pure hydrogen engine. According to plant manager José Ramón Isasi, the engine has been testing different fuels since 1997 and has focused on hydrogen since 2020. Its destination: feeding the Spanish power grid, although it also has a place in the marine industry.
The news, however, arrives wrapped in a skepticism bordering on the visceral among those who trinc energy technology closely. The critics' central argument is as simple as it is devastating: hydrogen is first obtained through electrolysis —with an efficiency of between 50 and 70%— and then burned in an engine to generate electricity, with additional losses. Overall efficiency is around 30%, far below a battery or a combined-cycle gas plant. "We obtain hydrogen by electrolysis and then burn it to get electricity. Have these people ever heard of the laws of thermodynamics?" sum up the most acid voices, who add that subsidies are "the fourth law."
The debate also puts the spotlight on storage. Hydrogen, due to its small molecular size, escapes even from steel cylinders, and at large scale the problem of permeability and metal embrittlement remains unsolved. Against this, the project's defenders argue that the engine does not compete with batteries on efficiency, but serves to store surplus renewable energy when production exceeds demand. "There is no point in having 500 terawatts in wind turbines and solar panels if nobody consumes it on the spot," they point out.
In the naval field, where batteries face weight and range limitations, hydrogen could make more sense. But the experience with hydrogen cars —practically absent from the streets— invites caution. "They've been saying this for 50 years," the skeptics snap. The unsettling figure: after decades of R&D and billions in subsidies, hydrogen still lacks a clear business model outside very specific niches. The Bermeo engine may be the first step, or the last in a long series of broken promises.
Related discussions in the forum
The laboratory that Finnish multinational Wärtsilä operates in Bermeo (Bizkaia) has started up what it presents as the world's first large-scale pure hydrogen engine. According to plant manager José Ramón Isasi, the engine has been testing different fuels since 1997 and has focused on hydrogen since 2020. Its destination: feeding the Spanish power grid, although it also has a place in the marine industry.
The news, however, arrives wrapped in a skepticism bordering on the visceral among those who trinc energy technology closely. The critics' central argument is as simple as it is devastating: hydrogen is first obtained through electrolysis —with an efficiency of between 50 and 70%— and then burned in an engine to generate electricity, with additional losses. Overall efficiency is around 30%, far below a battery or a combined-cycle gas plant. "We obtain hydrogen by electrolysis and then burn it to get electricity. Have these people ever heard of the laws of thermodynamics?" sum up the most acid voices, who add that subsidies are "the fourth law."
The debate also puts the spotlight on storage. Hydrogen, due to its small molecular size, escapes even from steel cylinders, and at large scale the problem of permeability and metal embrittlement remains unsolved. Against this, the project's defenders argue that the engine does not compete with batteries on efficiency, but serves to store surplus renewable energy when production exceeds demand. "There is no point in having 500 terawatts in wind turbines and solar panels if nobody consumes it on the spot," they point out.
In the naval field, where batteries face weight and range limitations, hydrogen could make more sense. But the experience with hydrogen cars —practically absent from the streets— invites caution. "They've been saying this for 50 years," the skeptics snap. The unsettling figure: after decades of R&D and billions in subsidies, hydrogen still lacks a clear business model outside very specific niches. The Bermeo engine may be the first step, or the last in a long series of broken promises.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (23 replies).
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