The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a significant allocation of nearly $34 million to support 19 groundbreaking research projects spearheaded by both industry and universities. These initiatives are set to revolutionize technology solutions to ultimately make clean hydrogen more accessible and cost-effective for applications in electricity generation, industrial decarbonization, and transportation. Clean hydrogen-generated electricity aligns with the ambitious goals of the Biden-Harris Administration, aiming for a zero-carbon American power sector by 2035 and achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm emphasized, “Clean hydrogen is one of our most versatile tools to slash emissions and forge a carbon-free pathway for a sustainable clean energy future. With today’s announcements, DOE is supporting the continued advancement of clean hydrogen technology making it cheaper to produce and easier to deploy, all while creating good-paying jobs in the process.”
Hydrogen, a clean fuel known for its versatility, can be harnessed in fuel cells or gas turbines to generate electricity, with only water and heat as byproducts. The production of clean hydrogen can be achieved using zero-emission electricity derived from sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and nuclear energy, as well as through the conversion of leak-tight natural gas and sustainably sourced biomass, combined with carbon capture and storage. Presently, over 95% of the approximately 10 million metric tons of hydrogen produced in the United States originates from natural gas without carbon dioxide capture and geologic storage, resulting in substantial emissions. Advancing clean hydrogen production is thus pivotal in the fight against climate change.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), operating under the umbrella of the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), will oversee the selected projects, which will focus on
- Developing technologies to produce clean hydrogen at a lower cost and with greater energy efficiency.
- Exploring innovative methods for hydrogen production using biomass, effluent waters from oil and natural gas development, and other waste materials.
- Expanding options for secure and efficient hydrogen transportation and storage nationwide.
The selections represent FECM’s commitment to investing in hydrogen research, with more than $122 million dedicated to 72 projects since January 2021. These initiatives are aligned with DOE’s Hydrogen Shot initiative, which seeks to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80%, making it $1 per 1 kilogram within one decade, thereby establishing new, clean hydrogen pathways in the U.S.
In accordance with the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, achieving commercial-scale hydrogen deployment is a pivotal step in fostering a robust clean energy economy in the United States while supporting long-term decarbonization objectives. Projections indicate that the burgeoning hydrogen economy in America has the potential to generate 100,000 net new direct and indirect jobs by 2030.
