Staff and Wire Reports
The U.S. Department of Energy is seeking public input on planned new hydrogen hubs supported by the Biden Infrastructure Law.
Feedback from stakeholders could help inform design and implementation of green hydrogen hubs in the nation. Hydrogen burns no carbon emissions but must be created by either electrolysis or steam reforming of methane gas.
If truly green hydrogen is the goal, the hubs must be connected to electrolysis facilities--which separate the H2 from water--powered by low or no-carbon resources such as wind, solar and nuclear. The DOE says clean hydrogen is crucial to its strategy of the Biden Administration’s goal of 100 percent clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates about $8 billion for these regional “clean hydrogen” hubs. The U.S. currently produces about 10 million metric tons of H2 annually, mostly through steam reforming, while the global total is closer to 90 million tons, according to reports.
“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,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “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.”
See EnergyTech's full coverage of Hydrogen's role in the C&I Energy Transition
Subscribe to our free, tri-weekly newsletter for more stories like this
Advocates see tons of potential for decarbonizing both the grid and industrial output through the use of hydrogen, from steelmaking to power generation in gas-fired turbines.
Feedback from the DOE’s requests for information (RFI) also will support the department’s Hydrogen Shot work to cut the cost of clean hydrogen to $1 per kilogram within one decade.
Go to www.energy.gov for more details on deadlines to response and register for an H2IQ webinar on February 24.
