The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $52.5 million to fund 31 projects to advance next-generation clean hydrogen technologies and support DOE’s recently announced Hydrogen Energy Earthshot initiative (earlier post) to reduce the cost and accelerate breakthroughs in the clean hydrogen sector.

These 31 projects will focus on bridging technical gaps in hydrogen production, storage, distribution and utilization technologies, including fuel cells, thereby paving the way toward decarbonization of the electricity sector by 1535.

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).

EERE-supported efforts under this announcement include 19 projects on the following topics:

• Electrolysis, a process to produce hydrogen using electricity and water, with improved manufacturing methods and streamlined assembly to reduce cost.

• Clean hydrogen production, including biological and electrochemical approaches.

• Fuel cell subsystems and components that are more efficient, durable, and designed for heavy-duty applications.

• Domestic hydrogen supply chain components and refueling technologies.

• Analyses to assess the cost and performance of fuel cell systems, hydrogen production pathways, and hydrogen storage technologies.

FECM-supported efforts under this announcement include 12 projects on the following topics:

• Degradation mechanisms and pathways in high temperature reversible solid oxide cells (SOC) materials that helps assess metrics about cost, performance, durability.

• Performance, reliability, and durability for hydrogen production using reversible solid oxide cells (R-SOC) systems.

• Cost reductions via improvements in materials, manufacturing and microstructure improvements in R-SOC technologies for hydrogen production.

• 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.

• Development of a gas turbine combustion system for 100 percent hydrogen fired and mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas.