The U.S. Department of Energy is investing nearly $61 million in efforts to develop clean-hydrogen production to provide available and affordable energy production, the DOE announced last month.
Nearly $29 million will go to 15 university- and industry-led projects, which will be overseen by the DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), the DOE reports in its Aug. 26 announcement. The DOE announced also a $32 million funding opportunity for "cutting-edge clean hydrogen technology solutions," the announcement states.
"The funding will support clean hydrogen uses for a more available and affordable fuel for electricity generation, industrial decarbonization, and transportation fuel," the DOE states in the report. "Electricity generated from clean hydrogen will help in reaching the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal achieving a net-zero economy by 2050."
The projects will focus on the production of low-cost, carbon-neutral hydrogen from sustainable biomass feedstocks; clean hydrogen from blended feedstocks including biomass, waste coal, waste plastics, and municipal solid wastes with carbon capture; and studies to design and use carbon capture systems that produce clean hydrogen from natural gas, according to the DOE.
The funding opportunity extends to applicants researching development of technologies to advance clean hydrogen production from sustainable biomasses; additional development of existing processes to ready them for commercial use; improved leak detection in hydrogen pipelines and transportation infrastructure; and options for subsurface hydrogen storage, the announcement reports.
“Clean hydrogen is an incredibly versatile tool for decarbonizing our economy and tackling the climate crisis,” Sec. Jennifer Granholm said in the announcement. “DOE is investing in projects that will help bring down the cost of producing clean hydrogen, increase its availability as an affordable, low-carbon fuel for power production, and generate good-paying jobs.”
