Caterpillar Boosts Hydrogen with Cat® CG260 for Blended H₂

Recently, Caterpillar announced that it has added the Cat® CG260 generator set to its portfolio of commercial power solutions that can use hydrogen fuel. Currently, Caterpillar dealers around the world can provide 12-cylinder and 16-cylinder versions of the Cat CG260 generator set for 50 or 60Hz applications, and it is approved to run on gas with up to 25% hydrogen. The CG260 can provide up to 4.5 megawatts of power for continuous, prime and load management needs. In addition, Caterpillar also provides a conversion kit to update the installed Cat CG260 gas generator set to have the same ability to run on hydrogen fuel. With the addition of this latest product, Caterpillar now offers a portfolio of gas generator sets from 400ekW to 4.5MW, providing solutions for Cat CG132B, Cat CG170B, Cat CG260 and Cat G3500H series gas generator sets that can run on hydrogen fuel through factory-installed hardware and conversion kits. “The transition to low-carbon power solutions is accelerating,” said Melissa Busen, vice president of Caterpillar’s ​​Large Power Division. “Caterpillar has a rich technology reserve and will continue to invest in technological innovation to help customers integrate hydrogen fuel systems into their power strategies.”

Caterpillar has extensive expertise in hydrogen fuel-electric technology to minimize the impact on maintenance costs and schedules, availability and operations. Since 2022, Caterpillar has launched a demonstration Cat G3516 gas generator set capable of running on 100% hydrogen, recommended for use in areas with adequate hydrogen fuel supply, suitable for 50 or 60Hz continuous applications, with a maximum power rating of 1000ekW. A few months ago, Caterpillar announced a successful collaboration with Microsoft and Ballard Power Systems to demonstrate the feasibility of using large-scale hydrogen fuel cells to provide reliable and sustainable backup power for data centers. In addition, Caterpillar has also worked with São Paulo District Energy to demonstrate a 2.0MW combined heat and power (CHP) system powered by a combination of hydrogen and natural gas. This project is also supported and partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). These projects build on Caterpillar’s ​​35 years of experience in hydrogen fuels, supporting numerous power generation projects across multiple end-use industries that can now run on fuels with up to 80% hydrogen blends. In addition to hydrogen solutions, Caterpillar is making a positive contribution to a low-carbon future through continued investment in new products, technologies and services. These include Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) software solutions for monitoring, managing and monetizing on-site energy assets; a complete suite of hybrid energy solution technologies; Cat combined heat and power (CHP) systems and combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems; support for hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), biodiesel and blended fuel products; and solution expertise for landfill gas, biogas and other “waste-to-treasure” energy applications. Caterpillar offers innovative power products and solutions designed for sustainability, durability, reliability and value. Global product support, parts and service, and customer value agreements are provided through the Cat Authorized Service and Dealer Network. In addition, dealer technicians are trained to provide comprehensive maintenance and service to help customers optimize the total cost of ownership of Cat equipment.