By: Franyi Sarmiento, Ph.D., Inspenet, June 10, 2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has filed a notice of intent to fund the $8 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Act program to develop regional clean hydrogen hubs, H2Hubs, across the United States, the US Department of Energy said. DOE in a press release.
H2Hubs will create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier. The production, processing, delivery, storage, and end use of clean hydrogen, including innovative uses in the industrial sector, are critical to DOE’s strategy to achieve President Biden’s goal of a 100% clean electric grid for 2035 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Hydrogen power has the power to reduce emissions from multiple carbon-intensive sectors and open up a world of economic opportunity for clean energy businesses and workers across the country,” said the US Secretary of Energy. , Jennifer M. Granholm. “These hydrogen hubs will make significant progress toward President Biden’s vision of a resilient grid powered by clean energy and built by American workers.”
Investments in hydrogen technology from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act are an important component of President Biden’s plan to decarbonize the industrial sector, which accounts for a third of the nation’s carbon emissions.
Hydrogen power has the potential to decarbonise multiple economic sectors, including heavy transportation and steel manufacturing, create good-paying jobs, and pave the way for a grid powered by clean energy resources.
Currently, the US produces about 10 million metric tons of hydrogen per year, compared to about 90 million tons produced per year globally. While most of the hydrogen produced in the US comes from natural gas via steam methane reforming, electrolysis technology, which uses electricity to produce hydrogen from water, is an emerging avenue with dozens of facilities across the country. This technology could produce hydrogen using clean electricity from renewable energy, including solar, wind and nuclear.
The selection of the regional H2Hubs will utilize cross-office collaboration and consider factors such as environmental justice, community engagement, consent-based placement, equity, and workforce development.
DOE will select proposals that prioritize employment opportunities and address hydrogen feedstocks, end uses, and geographic diversity. The NOI provides a high-level draft plan for DOE’s current vision to meet BIL requirements for H2Hubs, which will be supported by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations and the Office of Fuel Cell Technologies and DOE Hydrogen.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act H2Hubs will support DOE’s ongoing initiative designed to bring stakeholders together to help reduce the cost of advanced hydrogen production, transportation, storage, and utilization across multiple sectors of the economy. In 2021, DOE also launched the Hydrogen Shot to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen to $1 per 1 kilogram of clean hydrogen in a decade.
This material from the Petrobanca Portal was edited for clarity, style and length.
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