$750 million available to advance clean hydrogen technologies, DOE says

The Biden-Harris Administration, through the US Department of Energy (DOE), has announced the availability of $750 million for research, development, and demonstration efforts to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen.

The funding launches the first tranche of implementation of two provisions of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which authorises $1 billion for research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen produced via electrolysis and $500 million for research, development, and demonstration of improved processes and technologies for manufacturing and recycling clean hydrogen systems and materials.

DOE noted that, by enabling the development of diverse, domestic clean energy pathways across multiple sectors of the economy, hydrogen development will strengthen American energy independence.

“Managed by DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), projects funded through this opportunity will address underlying technical barriers to cost reduction that can’t be overcome by scale alone, and they will ensure that today’s emerging commercial-scale deployments will achieve long-term viability with tomorrow’s lower-cost, higher-performing technology,” DOE said, adding that reaching cost reduction goals will open new markets for clean hydrogen.

DOE pointed out that the investments will help it achieve its Hydrogen Shot goal of being able to produce $1 per kilogram of clean hydrogen within a decade, and in addition, they will help reduce harmful emissions in communities across the country.

In regard to funding, DOE said it envisions granting multiple financial assistance awards in the form of cooperative agreements, with the period of performance being approximately two to five years.

It encouraged applicant teams that include stakeholders within academia, industry, and national laboratories across multiple technical disciplines. Teams also got encouraged to include representation from diverse entities such as minority-serving institutions, labour unions, tribal nations, community colleges, and other entities connected through opportunity zones.  

The application process will include two phases, a Concept Paper phase and a Full Application phase. Concept papers are due on 19 April 2023, and full applications are due on 19 July 2023, DOE informed.

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Making clean hydrogen from abundant renewable energy provides America with yet another incredibly powerful fuel for many different applications, from low-emissions use in the construction and manufacturing industries to energy storage to powering our cars and trucks.”

“Thanks to new funding from President Biden’s historic clean energy laws, DOE is accelerating our effort to make this exciting and versatile fuel market-ready within a decade, supercharging America’s drive towards an affordable and secure clean energy economy.”

The Biden-Harris Administration revealed its intent to issue $750 million in funding for clean hydrogen technologies back in December 2022.