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A month after launching the Hydrogen Energy Earthshot, the
US Department of Energy (DOE) announced on 7 July that grants of
$52.5 million have been made to 31 projects to advance
next-generation clean hydrogen technologies.
"Part of our path to a net-zero carbon future means investing in
innovation to make clean energy sources like hydrogen more
affordable and widely adopted so we can reach our goal of net-zero
carbon emissions by 2050," said Secretary of Energy Jennifer
Granholm in a statement.
The goal of the Earthshot program is to reduce the cost of clean
hydrogen from the current level of about $5/kg to $1/kg. This could
be through processes using renewable power for electrolysis (green
hydrogen) or fossil fuels and carbon capture to neutralize carbon
emissions (blue hydrogen).
"These projects will put us one step closer to unlocking the
scientific advancements needed to create a strong domestic supply
chain and good-paying jobs in the emerging clean hydrogen
industry," Granholm said.
Hydrogen can be used as a source of energy either in fuel cells
or burned like a fossil fuel. Fuel cells are considered especially
promising, according to DOE, because the byproducts of hydrogen use
are water and heat (no carbon emissions), and its efficiency can be
as high as 65% with current technology, or about double that of
gas-fired power turbines.
Nineteen of the hydrogen projects ($36 million) are being funded
by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy (EERE), including improved manufacturing
through electrolysis and biological approaches, fuel cell
applications, and refueling technology. Twelve of the projects
($16.5 million) are being funded by DOE's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon
Management (FECM), and these include work on carbon capture
from steam methane reforming, development of a gas turbine
combustion system for various mixes of gas and hydrogen, and
studying the performance and durability of materials used in the
manufacturing process.
Several of the EERE projects focus on heavy-duty applications,
including grants to General Motors and NeoGraf Solutions, each for
fuel cell bipolar plate technology; Caterpillar for use of hydrogen
in internal combustion engines; and Eaton Corp. for high-efficiency
and transient air systems for truck fuel cells.
One example of an FECM project is a grant to Tallgrass MLP, a
gas pipeline operator, for just under $1.5 million. Tallgrass has
proposed to "design a commercial-scale carbon capture unit capable
of separating and storing 1.66 million tonnes/year of 95% pure CO2
with more than 97% carbon capture efficiency" at its Blue Bison
plant in Wilmington, Illinois. The system would produce up to 220
million cubic feet/day of hydrogen at 99.97% purity, according to
Tallgrass.
IHS Markit has estimated that the cost of blue hydrogen with
carbon capture or the use of renewable natural gas already can be
below $2/kg.
