DOE Announces $52.5 Million to Fund 31 Clean Hydrogen Projects

The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $52.5 million funding for 31 projects aimed at advancing clean hydrogen. The funding is part of the Biden administration’s Energy Earthshot initiative, which aims to solve some of the most challenging climate-related problems facing the U.S. “Hydrogen Shot” is the first of the Energy Earthshots launched by the Biden administration. The initiative seeks to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade.
 
The Earthshot initiative overall is part of the Biden administration’s plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050; hydrogen has an important role to play in getting the U.S. there. According to DOE, “If the Hydrogen Shot goals are achieved, scenarios show the opportunity for at least a 5-fold increase in clean hydrogen use. A U.S. industry estimate shows the potential for 16% carbon dioxide emission reduction by 2050 as well as $140 billion in revenues and 700,000 jobs by 2030.”
 
Reducing the cost of clean hydrogen to $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade will make the energy source more attractive for use in industries such as transportation, manufacturing, and building. To get there, DOE is funding projects that aim to bridge technical gaps in hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and utilization. The 31 projects awarded on July 7, 2021 include:
 
$36 million from the Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) funding 19 projects:

• Electrolysis, a process to produce hydrogen using electricity and water, with improved manufacturing methods and streamlined assembly to reduce cost.
• Clean hydrogen production, including biological and electrochemical approaches.
• Fuel cell subsystems and components that are more efficient, durable, and designed for heavy-duty applications.
• Domestic hydrogen supply chain components and refueling technologies.
• Analyses to assess the cost and performance of fuel cell systems, hydrogen production pathways, and hydrogen storage technologies. 

$16.5 million from the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) funding 12 projects: 

• Degradation mechanisms and pathways in high temperature reversible solid oxide cells (SOC) materials that helps assess metrics about cost, performance, durability.
• Performance, reliability, and durability for hydrogen production using reversible solid oxide cells (R-SOC) systems.
• Cost reductions via improvements in materials, manufacturing and microstructure improvements in R-SOC technologies for hydrogen production.
• Initial engineering design of a commercial-scale advanced carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) system from steam methane reforming plants.
• Initial engineering design of a commercial-scale advanced CCUS system from autothermal methane reforming plants
• Development of a gas turbine combustion system for 100 percent hydrogen fired and mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas.

Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, who recently spoke to the ASME community during the inaugural ASME Policy Impact event, commented via a news release on Hydrogen Shot saying “Part of our path to a net-zero carbon future means investing in innovation to make clean energy sources like hydrogen more affordable and widely adopted so we can reach our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. These projects will put us one step closer to unlocking the scientific advancements needed to create a strong domestic supply chain and good-paying jobs in the emerging clean hydrogen industry.”
 
To learn more about what DOE is doing in hydrogen, visit: https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-shot.