The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set the wheels of progress in motion with a significant investment of nearly $34 million across 19 cutting-edge research projects. These industry- and university-led initiatives are poised to accelerate technology solutions, making clean hydrogen a more accessible and cost-effective fuel.
The applications of this clean hydrogen range from electricity generation to industrial decarbonization and transportation. Notably, the utilization of clean hydrogen to generate electricity aligns with the ambitious aims of the Biden-Harris Administration, targeting a zero-carbon American power sector by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
In the words of U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, “Clean hydrogen is one of our most versatile tools to slash emissions and forge a carbon-free pathway for a sustainable clean energy future… creating good-paying jobs in the process.”
The versatility of hydrogen is captivating; it can be employed in fuel cells or gas turbines to create electricity with only water and heat as byproducts. Clean hydrogen production involves several approaches, including zero-emissions electricity generation from sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and nuclear energy. Furthermore, it can be derived from leak-tight natural gas and sustainably sourced biomass, aided by carbon capture and storage. However, a major challenge is that currently over 95% of the 10 million metric tons of hydrogen produced in the U.S. arises from natural gas without carbon capture and storage, leading to substantial emissions. This makes the enhancement of clean hydrogen production a critical strategy in tackling climate change.
The torchbearer of these projects, DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), operating under DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), will manage the diverse array of endeavors. The focal points of these projects encompass:
- Developing technologies for cost-effective and energy-efficient clean hydrogen production.
- Exploring novel methods to generate hydrogen using biomass, effluent waters from oil and natural gas operations, and other waste materials.
- Expanding options for the safe and efficient transport and storage of hydrogen across the nation.
A comprehensive list of the selected projects can be found on the official website.
With this recent announcement, FECM’s investments have reached an impressive total of over $122 million across 72 projects since January 2021. These projects are closely tied to DOE’s Hydrogen Shot initiative, a visionary plan that aspires to decrease the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to a mere $1 per kilogram within a decade, thereby cultivating new pathways for clean hydrogen in the U.S.
Aligned with the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, achieving large-scale hydrogen deployment is pivotal in constructing a robust clean energy economy in the United States, concurrently propelling long-term decarbonization objectives. Projections indicate that the burgeoning hydrogen economy has the potential to introduce 100,000 net new direct and indirect jobs by 2030.
The FECM’s resolute efforts extend towards mitigating environmental and climate impacts stemming from fossil fuels and industrial processes, while steadfastly pursuing a net-zero emissions economy. Key technology domains include carbon capture, carbon conversion, carbon dioxide removal, carbon dioxide transport and storage, hydrogen production with carbon management, methane emissions reduction, and critical minerals production.
