The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued two Requests for Information (RFI) to gather feedback from stakeholders in order to inform the implementation and design of the Regional Hydrogen Hub, as well as the Electrolysis and Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling Programs, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
This request will aid in the acceleration of advancement, the reduction of technological costs, and the expansion of the use of hydrogen as a renewable energy carrier. Clean hydrogen is critical to attaining President Biden’s goals of a 100 percent clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which are both achievable with DOE’s plan.
The United States Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm, stated, “Clean hydrogen is critical to cleaning up American industry and reducing emissions from carbon-intensive products such as steel and cement, while also providing good-paying employment for American workers.” It is our hope that the American public would provide us with comments on how to make scaling up this clean and economical energy source a reality in the United States.
A crucial component of President Biden’s goal to decarbonize the industrial sector, which accounts for one-third of domestic carbon emissions, is the hydrogen technology investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Hydrogen energy has the potential to decarbonize a wide range of economic sectors, including heavy-duty transportation and steel industry, while also creating well-paying employment and paving the path for a future grid powered entirely by renewable energy sources. Currently, the United States generates roughly 10 million metric tons of hydrogen per year, compared to the approximately 90 million tonnes generated worldwide each year. Even though the vast majority of the hydrogen generated in the United States originates from natural gas through steam methane reforming, electrolysis technology, which utilizes electricity to make hydrogen from water, is a rapidly expanding avenue with dozens of installations around the country. This technology has the potential to enable the manufacture of hydrogen from clean electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar, wind, and nuclear electricity.
There is $8 billion in funding for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, which will create jobs as clean hydrogen is increasingly used in the industrial sector and beyond; $1 billion for a Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis Program, which will reduce the costs of hydrogen produced from clean electricity; and $500 million for Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing & Recycling Initiatives, which will support equipment manufacturing and the development of strong domestic supply chains. For the purpose of informing the design of clean hydrogen programs, the RFIs will solicit input from a diverse range of stakeholders. These stakeholders will include regional and local leaders as well as environmental justice community members, researchers, technology developers, and businesses, among others. It is also hoped that this input would assist in the effective, just, and long-term deployment of technology that will enable a climate-safe future, with a special emphasis on integrating historically marginalized populations in the decision-making process.
Included in the Hydrogen Hubs Implementation Strategy RFI are topics such as the solicitation process, funding opportunity announcement (FOA) structure, and implementation strategy; equity, environmental and energy justice (EEEJ) and priority issues; market adoption and sustainability of the Hydrogen Hubs; and equity, environmental and energy justice (EEEJ) and priority issues. Included in the RFI for clean hydrogen manufacturing, recycling, and electrolysis are topics such as clean hydrogen equipment manufacturing and supply chain, clean hydrogen end-use technologies such as fuel cells, and approaches to recycling hydrogen end-use technologies such as fuel cells. Also included are topics such as electrolyzer development, testing, and integration.
