The Pacific Northwest is set to begin work building out a clean hydrogen economy with the announcement of a Phase 1 funding award from the Department of Energy (DOE). The $27.5-million award to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (PNWH2), a multi-state nonprofit organization, will be matched by industry partners up to $125 million in Phase 1 of the project.

DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will serve as an advisor to the PNWH2 by conducting life-cycle analysis to predict and understand the planned hydrogen energy infrastructure impact on decreasing emissions and aiding in community engagement.

Public and private groups represented in the PNWH2 Hub are working with leaders in Washington, Oregon and Montana to leverage the region’s renewable energy sources to produce clean hydrogen for the region. If successful, the region could receive up to $1 billion in total DOE funding, which would be supplemented by billions more in industry cost sharing, to build out a clean hydrogen ecosystem.

PNNL scientists, engineers and analysts are providing economic, technological and emissions reduction evaluations of hydrogen production, integration with the electrical grid, and end users in the Hub.

The goal of the PNWH2 Hub is to develop and market economical clean hydrogen power solutions to meet the United States’ clean energy goal while ensuring that at least 40% of the benefits flow to disadvantaged communities. The hydrogen will be used to address some of the hardest-to-decarbonize technology areas such as public transportation (transit buses), agricultural products (fertilizer), medium- and heavy-duty transportation and the electric power industry.

The PNWH2 Hub joins California (earlier post) as the first two of a planned national network of clean hydrogen producers, consumers and connective infrastructure, while supporting the production, storage, delivery and end-use of clean hydrogen.