Cornell University and Nel Hydrogen to deploy hydrogen microgrid on Vieques farm for hurricane resilience
Type: Partnership · Technology: Hydrogen · Country: United States · Capacity: 100 kW · Announced: 2026-08-13
Cornell University partnered with Nel Hydrogen to deploy a hydrogen-based microgrid at La Finca de Hamberto, a working farm on Vieques, Puerto Rico. The project aims to enhance energy resilience by doubling the farm's solar capacity to 100 kilowatts and adding battery storage, followed by the installation of a Nel Hydrogen electrolyzer in early 2027. The electrolyzer will produce clean hydrogen stored in on-site cylinders, enabling mobile fuel cells to deliver up to 2.5 megawatt-hours of power during outages to critical services like the health clinic and water pumps. The system is designed to withstand hurricane-related outages for up to 10 days, significantly improving upon the current solar-battery microgrid's resilience window of a few days. The project is partly funded by Volkswagen's 2019 emissions-lawsuit settlement funds, with additional funding still being sought for hydrogen production, storage, and fuel cell components.
Counterparties
- Nel Hydrogen (Supplier)
- Cornell University (Developer)
📈 The Sherpa Signal — one notable infrastructure deal a day.