The U.S. Department of Energy has announced $750m for 52 projects across 24 states to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen.
The clean hydrogen projects, funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law, will help advance electrolysis technologies and improve manufacturing and recycling capabilities.
The investment reinforces the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to accelerate the deployment of green hydrogen as laid out in the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap.
The projects are set to enable US manufacturing capacity to produce 14 gigawatts of fuel cells per year and ten gigawatts of electrolysers per year. This is enough to power 15% of medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold each year and to produce an additional 1.3 million tons of clean hydrogen per year.
Advancing clean hydrogen is a key component of President Biden’s plan to tackle the crisis and strengthen the US’s manufacturing and industrial competitiveness.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is propelling an American-led clean hydrogen economy that is delivering good-paying, high-quality jobs and accelerating a manufacturing renaissance in communities across America,” said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.
“The projects announced today—funded by the President’s Investing in America agenda—will supercharge our progress and ensure our leadership in clean hydrogen will be felt across the nation for generations to come.”
Strengthening energy independence
Clean hydrogen will play a vital role in reducing emissions from the US’s most energy-insensitive sectors, such as heavy-duty transportation and chemical processes like fertiliser production.
It is also set to expand clean electricity by providing a means for long-duration energy storage and offering flexibility for all types of clean power generation.
Hydrogen development will accelerate the US manufacturing boom by enabling the development of diverse and domestic clean energy pathways across multiple sectors.
The clean hydrogen projects
The projects, managed by DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, represent the first phase of implementing two provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure law.
These provisions authorise $1bn for research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities to reduce the cost of green hydrogen produced by electrolysis. $500m is also allocated for the research, development, and demonstration of improved processes and technologies for manufacturing and recycling clean hydrogen systems and materials.
The projects will advance clean hydrogen technology in the following areas:
- Low-cost, high throughput electrolyser manufacturing (Eight projects, $316m)
- Electrolyser component and supply chain development (Ten projects, $81m)
- Advanced technology and component development (18 projects, $72m)
- Advanced manufacturing of fell cell assemblies and stacks (Five projects, $150m)
- Fuel cell supply chain development (Ten projects, $82m)
- Recovery and recycling consortium (One project, $50m)
More information on the projects selected for award negotiations can be found here.
Benefits of the projects
The investments, which total $1.6bn, are set to create more than 1,500 jobs and indirectly generate additional jobs through resulting economic activity.
The projects will also improve the business case for using green hydrogen in heavy-duty transportation, industrial applications, and energy storage mediums by reducing costs for electrolysers and fuel cells.
DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs and other emerging commercial-scale deployments will receive support for their long-term viability.
In addition, by reducing costs and helping to accelerate the adoption of green hydrogen, the projects aim to reduce harmful emissions, which especially benefit disadvantaged communities overburdened by pollution.
