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Jacobs delivers green hydrogen projects from strategy to concept, through to design and program delivery. We work globally from production to end use cases across multiple sectors and industries including mobility and transport, power, ports, water, power and industry (e.g. ammonia, refining etc.)
Jacobs provides comprehensive, independent, technical and commercial capabilities across the entire hydrogen value chain, from production through to end use. This includes program-management, commercial, technical, environmental, and social aspects, delivered via our teams across consulting, engineering design and project management services.
We specialize in hydrogen production technologies, storage, transmission, associated infrastructure and end-use across a range of energy transition and fuel switching strategies.
Our delivery capability includes concept design studies, feasibility and business case definition, economic and market studies, front-end engineering design (FEED), detailed design and engineering, permitting and planning and overall program delivery roles. Jacobs also undertakes commissioning, operational and ongoing asset optimization support.
We are capable of managing complexity through a programmatic approach, particularly suited for multi-GW large scale production and export projects, multi-asset delivery internationally or regionally, and cross-sector integration.
Hydrogen skills and experience
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- Technology and design evaluation
- Materials testing
- Hydrogen production – micro to multi GW scales
- Hydrogen storage, transport and distribution
- Pipelines – mixed gases and cryogenic hydrogen
- Hydrogen end-use: feedstock
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- Fuel cell system integration
- Thermal power conversation and back–up power
- Hydrogen system automation and control
- Hydrogen safety, risk and compliance assessment
- Environmental, social and health permitting and approvals
- Systems modelling for producing, storing and distributing liquid hydrogen: Supply chain optimization
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- Hybrid fuel cell-battery systems for mobility applications
- Power and water use planning and optimization
- Associated infrastructure
- Stakeholder engagement and social value
- Off-grid renewable developments, energy storage and remote applications
Sectors and Industries
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- Power generation and transmission, renewable energy and energy storage
- Defense – Remote operations and decarbonized fuels supply
- Nuclear – baseload hydrogen generation
- Transport:
- Aviation
- Rail
- Vehicle Refueling Hubs
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- Built environment including data centers, healthcare
- Water – water supply and waste water treatment plant (WWTP) integration
- Mining – remote operations
- Manufacturing & Advanced facilities — industrial integration across a range of industries
- Ports and Shipping – reconfiguring ports for import/export and future fuels
- Digital solutions – optimization, simulation, digital twin, automation
Advisory, technical, commercial and environmental services
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- Consulting and advisory
- Strategy and energy market analysis
- M&A, lenders advisor
- Technology evaluation OEM licensor engagement and evaluation
- Concept development
- Site selection
- Financial and economic evaluation
- Supply chain analysis and optimization
- Risk analysis
- Water resourcing
- System simulation modelling
- Permitting and regulatory approvals – Environmental and social
- Stakeholder engagement
- Social Value
- Consulting and advisory
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- Engineering and Operations
- Feasibility Studies (Pre-feasibility, bankable)
- Program Management
- Front end engineering and detailed engineering design (FEED)
- Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) management
- Tendering and contract award
- Owner’s/Lender’s Engineer
- Site supervision
- Commissioning and defects liability period support
- Engineering and Operations
Hydrogen Value Chain
We also provide integration into a variety of manufacturing assets such as bio/pharm, clothing, data centers, refineries and ammonia plants.
Hydrogen hubs
Some of the greatest opportunities for decarbonization and hydrogen revolve around import/export hubs and the potential synergies of commercial-industrial clusters. These facilities allow the large-scale production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen to be more economically achieved and enable all sectors to unite behind the common goal of decarbonization.
Development of these multi-sector initiatives is complex – often involving ports, renewable developments, power transmission and distribution, hydrogen production, energy and hydrogen storage, industrial process integration, and mobility or transport applications across road, rail, aviation and shipping.
Jacobs is already helping deliver multiple hydrogen hubs globally with the resources and capability to deliver complex, multi-sector developments and programs either acting on behalf of the owner, or delivering multiple assets across varied geographies.
A hydrogen hub can involve large numbers of stakeholders, often involving public private partnerships, each representing a crucial interface for a successful development. Jacobs is trusted to provide assurance across the hydrogen value chain, advising on strategy, planning, permitting, funding, environmental and social protection and value, concepts and designs, stakeholder engagement and management and delivery of the assets themselves.
Hydrogen production optimization
Once power and water costs are removed, hydrogen production technology or electrolyzers, can be as much as 80% of the overall costs of a project. Investor confidence is influenced by the credibility and accuracy of technology considered and associated costs. We’ve developed sophisticated modeling and independent assessment of hydrogen production, storage and distribution technologies to help provide confidence that the chosen development concept is truly the most fit for purpose.
NASA hydrogen experience
Jacobs is trusted to deliver the most advanced and technologically challenging projects in the world from strategy to concept, to design and delivery. Jacobs has supported NASA for more than 25 years to design, maintain and operate its hydrogen-based rocket fuel systems and associated infrastructure at multiple sites.
Our team of over 7,000 working for NASA are developing and delivering liquified hydrogen storage at scale, including assessment of innovative fuel cell technology for the future Mars and Moon bases, and niche hydrogen combustion capabilities.
Grid resilience for H2 production and off-grid renewables
Electrification forms a major component of the energy transition and will place an increased strain on aging grids resulting in the need for investment in resilience and renewal of existing networks and capacity expansion. New infrastructure such as transmission, distribution and regional/national interconnections are needed to enable distribution of renewable energy, flexibility, increasing productivity and reliability.
Jacobs has teams of specialists who recognize the technical and commercial challenges associated with multi-Gigawatt renewable developments, for both grid-connected and off-grid developments, typically integrating energy storage. Our teams utilize a suite of modelling and simulation tools combined with detailed infrastructure and market expertise to provide effective, economic solutions.
Our nodal modelling approach considers the network agility and resilience while optimizing supply solutions.
Mobility applications of hydrogen
Energy intensive transport such as heavy haulage, rail, shipping or aviation will require a number of solutions to decarbonize. Hydrogen represents one potential solution alongside electrification via batteries and fuel cells.
Utilizing our advanced transport planning capabilities, Jacobs has been working closely with national, state, and regional government agencies; utilities; international energy companies; and rail and aviation companies to help plan the future of mobility.
Our activities include market demand and network analysis, hydrogen infrastructure and supply studies for aviation, concept development for electrolysis hubs for heavy haulage routes, and feasibility studies for hydrogen rail. In 2022, Jacobs supported FlyZero, backed by the U.K. Government, with hydrogen infrastructure planning.
Nuclear H2 production
As one of the U.K.’s leading design and engineering contractors for nuclear, where our projects include Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C and the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) program, our hydrogen team is leading several research and development projects in nuclear-derived hydrogen, hot electrolysis and nuclear-interfaced hydrogen carriers such as net-zero ammonia and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). This includes significant involvement in advanced modular reactors and the intended use of high temperature, waste heat/steam to create low-cost, thermally enhanced hydrogen production.
Operational, environmental and social license
Renewable hydrogen production can require significant amounts of land and water for the location of facilities such as wind turbines, solar panels and electrolysers. Electricity transmission, product pipeline and storage can also involve significant footprints through often rural, greenfield locations. Depending on the location, these developments may present significant potential environmental impacts, such as to flora and fauna (for example, through clearing) and stakeholder interests, including visual amenity and cultural heritage impacts. At Jacobs our environmental specialists work closely with developers to understand, mitigate and manage these risks, so that environmental impacts and stakeholder concerns are reduced to acceptable levels so that operating licenses and community acceptance are achieved.
Logistics, manufacturing and advanced facilities
The scale of the hydrogen value chain is significant, presenting major logistics and manufacturing challenges at all stages including the required rapid increase in electrolyzers, fuel cells and battery manufacturing capacity. Jacobs has specialized divisions that work with owners of bespoke technologies or intellectual property (IP) in order to develop efficient advanced facilities to reduce costs and accelerate their roll out to the market. Our teams are also working on multiple ports and logistics facilities, assessing and designing modifications required for large scale movements of new materials and products such as wind farm components, and hydrogen carriers associated with the construction or operation of large-scale assets.
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7000
Jacobs personnel supporting NASA hydrogen-based rocket fuel systems and associated infrastructure at multiple sites
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50
Years Jacobs has been a leader in renewable energy
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500 B
amount of hydrogen investment projected between now and 2030*
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30 +
net-zero related hydrogen projects from feasibility and business case studies to detailed design and Tier 1 contractor delivery roles in the U.K., Europe, USA and Australia
*https://hydrogencouncil.com/en/hydrogen-insights-updates-july2021/
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Energy & Power
From aging and retiring asset bases in traditional base load power systems, to the increasing penetration of intermittent renewable generation, Jacobs is supporting power utilities and private companies all around the world to find the best solutions to their energy and power challenges.
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Decarbonization
Decarbonization is our overarching path to a net zero future and this “race to zero” comprises two complementary pathways. The first pathway is about reducing the carbon footprint produced across every industry – from water and transport, to manufacturing and city precincts. The second is by decarbonizing the gas and electricity systems that power them, which is commonly referred to as “the energy transition.”
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Offshore Wind
Most of the world has only begun to tap into the potential of offshore wind as an abundant energy source. Higher wind speeds, coupled with more consistency, make offshore wind a reliable – and ultimately affordable – source of power.
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