US DoE awards $52.5M to 31 hydrogen projects

Another Bill in Congress Seeks to Limit Non-Competes

By Electrive.com

July 8th, 2021

The US American Department of Energy announced the awarding of $52.5 million to fund 31 projects to advance clean hydrogen technologies and support the recently announced ‘Hydrogen Energy Earthshot’ initiative to reduce costs and accelerate breakthroughs in the hydrogen sector.

The Doe funding includes $36 million from the Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and $16.5 million from the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM). The funding is also going to support different aspects of hydrogen mobility initiatives.

The EERE-supported projects include 19 projects on topics surrounding clean hydrogen production and storage. The projects will specifically look at ‘electrolysis with improved manufacturing methods and streamlined assembly to reduce cost’, as well as clean ‘hydrogen production, including biological and electrochemical approaches. Other funding is also going to ‘heavy-duty, durable and efficient fuel cell subsystems and components. Focus is also given to ‘domestic hydrogen supply chain components and refuelling technologies’, and finally, ‘analyses to assess the cost and performance of fuel cell systems, hydrogen production pathways, and hydrogen storage technologies.

FECM-supported initiatives include 12 projects on more technical areas, such as ‘degradation mechanisms and pathways in high temperature reversible solid oxide cells (SOC) materials that helps assess metrics about cost, performance, durability.’ Projects will also address ‘performance, reliability, and durability for hydrogen production using reversible solid oxide cells (R-SOC) systems’, as well as ‘cost reductions via improvements in materials, manufacturing and microstructure improvements in R-SOC technologies for hydrogen production’. The FECM projects also take a look at engineering with ‘initial engineering design of a commercial-scale advanced carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) system from steam methane reforming plants’, ‘initial engineering design of a commercial-scale advanced CCUS system from autothermal methane reforming plants’ and finally the ‘development of a gas turbine combustion system for 100 per cent hydrogen fired and mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas’.

“In our fight against climate change, it is critical we invest in the development and deployment of innovative alternative energy technologies,” said US Representative Scott Peters. “The research funding awarded to Solar Turbines Incorporated and The Regents of the University of California, San Diego will go a long way in advancing clean hydrogen technology as an accessible, cost-effective, and potentially game-changing fuel source to power our country while also helping to ensure we reach our climate goals.”