The US government will fund an $8 billion program to develop clean hydrogen hubs | Tech Reddy

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will fund the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act’s $8 billion program to develop regional political hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs) across America.

On June 6, 2022, DOE published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to fund the H2Hubs program. H2Hubs will create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers and infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier.

DOE says the production, processing, delivery, storage and end use of clean hydrogen is crucial to its strategy to achieve President Biden’s goal of a 100 percent clean electricity grid for by 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Hydrogen energy has the power to reduce emissions from many carbon-intensive sectors and open up a world of economic opportunity for clean energy companies and workers across the country.” said the US energy secretary Jennifer M. Granholm. “These hydrogen centers will make significant progress toward President Biden’s vision for a resilient grid that is powered by clean energy and built by working Americans.”

Investments in hydrogen technology from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act are a major component of President Biden’s plan to decarbonize the industrial sector, which accounts for a third of domestic carbon emissions.

Hydrogen energy has the potential to decarbonize many economic sectors, including heavy transport, and pave the way to a grid powered by clean energy resources.

Today, the United States produces about 10 million metric tons of hydrogen annually, compared to about 90 million tons produced annually worldwide. While most of the hydrogen produced in the United States comes from natural gas through steam methane reforming, electrolysis technology (which uses electricity to produce hydrogen from water) is a emerging street with dozens of installations across the country. This technology could produce hydrogen using clean electricity from renewable energy including solar, wind and nuclear energy.

The selection of the regional H2Hubs will use cross-office collaboration and consider factors such as environmental justice, community engagement, consensus-based site, equity and workforce development.

DOE says it will select proposals that prioritize employment opportunities and address hydrogen feedstocks, end uses and geographic diversity. The NOI provides a draft plan for DOE’s current vision for meeting the requirements for H2Hubs, which will be supported by DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstration and the Office of Hydrogen and Cells. Fuel.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act’s H2Hubs will support DOE’s ongoing initiative to bring stakeholders together to help reduce the cost of anticipated hydrogen production, transportation, storage and use in multiple sectors.

In 2021, DOE also launched the Hydrogen Shot to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen to $1 per kilogram of clean hydrogen within a decade.