On July 7, 2021, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced $52.5 million to advance cutting-edge clean hydrogen technologies.[1] The funding will support the DOE’s Hydrogen Energy Earthshot initiative, which aims to reduce the cost and accelerate innovation in the clean hydrogen sector. The 31 projects will focus on bridging technical gaps in hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and utilization technologies to help the U.S. reach the Biden administration’s goal of a decarbonized electricity sector by 2035.

The funding includes $36 million from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and $16.5 million from the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM). The EERE will support 19 projects focused on five topics: 1) electrolysis with improved manufacturing and streamlined assembly to reduce costs; 2) clean hydrogen, including biological and electrochemical approaches; 3) fuel cell subsystems and components that are more efficient and durable and are designed for heavy-duty applications; 4) domestic hydrogen supply chain components and refueling technologies; and 5) cost and performance analyses of fuel cell systems, hydrogen production pathways, and hydrogen storage technologies. The FECM will support 12 projects on six topics: 1) degradation mechanisms and pathways in high temperature reversible solid oxide cells (SOC) materials that help assess metrics such as cost; 2) performance, reliability, and durability for hydrogen production using reversible solid oxide cells (R-SOC) systems; 3) cost reductions via improvements in materials, manufacturing and microstructure improvements in R-SOC technologies; 4) design of a commercial-scale advanced carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) system from steam methane reforming plants; 5) design of a commercial-scale advanced CCUS system from autothermal methane reforming plants; and 6) development of a gas turbine combustion system for both hydrogen and hydrogen plus natural gas.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-announces-525-million-accelerate-progress-clean-hydrogen