The US Department of Energy (DOE) released a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) (DE-FOA-0003439) for up to $46 million to accelerate the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of affordable clean-hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. Projects funded under this NOFO will improve the performance of technologies for hydrogen production, hydrogen infrastructure, and fuel cells, and will demonstrate hydrogen and fuel cells in a new, high-impact application.

DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) will administer this NOFO, which focuses on: scaling up advanced photoelectrochemical hydrogen-production processes, improving materials for hydrogen infrastructure, developing critical components for fuel cells in heavy-duty transportation applications, and demonstrating domestic hydrogen fuel cell electric motorcoach buses.

By improving key technologies, spurring deployment, and helping industry achieve economies of scale, activities funded by this NOFO will support and reinforce the long-term viability of DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) and other commercial-scale hydrogen installations.

This NOFO will fund projects under the following topic areas:

• Topic 1: Photoelectrochemical (PEC) Water Splitting Device Scale Up

• Topic 2: High-Performance Materials for Hydrogen Service, Including Cryogenic and/or High-Pressure Conditions

• Topic 3: Sustainable High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membranes and Ionomers for Heavy-Duty Transportation Applications

• Topic 4: Domestic Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Motorcoach Bus Development and Demonstration