DOE launches requests for information related to $9.5B in clean hydrogen initiatives

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week issued two requests for information (RFIs) to gather feedback before proceeding with the $9.5 billion in clean hydrogen initiatives demanded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

“Clean hydrogen is key to cleaning up American manufacturing and slashing emissions from carbon-intensive materials like steel and cement while creating good-paying jobs for American workers,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “We’re seeking feedback from the American public on how to make scaling up this clean, affordable energy source a reality for the United States.”

Specifically, the DOE wants insight into how best to approach new hydrogen hubs, clean hydrogen manufacturing programs that promote decarbonization of the larger industry and transportation sectors and ensure healthier air. All of this will be covered by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Regional Hydrogen Hub and the Electrolysis and Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing and Recycling Programs.

These efforts are positioned as focal points of President Joe Biden’s goal of a clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Currently, the government estimates that the industrial side of America accounts for a third of domestic carbon emissions. Hydrogen, the Biden administration believes, could help decarbonize multiple sectors therein, including heavy-duty transportation and steel manufacturing.

The U.S. produces approximately 10 million metric tons of hydrogen annually – about one-ninth of the world’s total. Most of this comes from natural gas as a result of steam methane reforming, but the DOE is interested in pursuing electrolysis technology instead, using electricity to generate hydrogen from water, which would open up new possibilities for renewable generation run-offs from solar, wind, and nuclear power.

The RFIs seek feedback from various stakeholders, including regional leaders, local groups, environmental justice community members, researchers, technology developers, businesses, and more. Through these, each will be able potentially lay the foundations of the department’s clean hydrogen programs, covering everything from the solicitation process to market adoption, manufacturing, and supply chain components, and the development, test, and integration of electrolyzers.

Each RFI has a different end date. Responses for the Hydrogen Hubs Implementation Strategy RFI are due by March 8, 2022. The Clean Hydrogen Manufacturing, Recycling and Electrolysis RFI will need responses by March 29, 2022.