The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the much-anticipated selection of seven hydrogen hub projects across the country that are eligible for $7 billion in federal investment. The selectees will now undergo an award negotiation process to obtain a commitment from DOE. This funding aims to accelerate the commercial-scale deployment of low-cost, clean hydrogen as an alternative source of energy and the creation of networks of clean hydrogen producers, consumers, and infrastructure.
Power & Pipes
FERC, CFTC, and State Energy Law Developments
Electric vehicle (EV) charging relies on a complex ecosystem involving multiple entities, including utility operators, third-party data network providers, charging infrastructure owners, and the EVs themselves. The high degree of digital interconnectivity required to run that ecosystem presents significant cybersecurity risks, including the potential for data theft, physical property damage, and electric grid disruptions.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be a key component in the nationwide effort to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The Biden administration’s US National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, which highlighted specific decarbonization opportunities and challenges for various modes of transportation, identified hydrogen as the option with the greatest long-term opportunity for decarbonizing long-haul heavy trucks. However, adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technologies for long-haul heavy trucks is highly dependent on advancing hydrogen fuel cell technologies and expanding the hydrogen refueling infrastructure, as well as the availability of hydrogen supply, the cost of alternative types of transportation, and regulatory drivers.
The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) on March 15, 2023 that makes available up to $750 million to support the development of electrolyzer technology, domestic supply chains, and high-throughput manufacturing of electrolyzers and fuel cells. The funding is intended to improve the efficiency, durability, and cost of producing clean hydrogen using electrolyzers; to advance new manufacturing technologies for both electrolyzer and fuel cell technologies; and to create innovative approaches to increase reuse and recycling of clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently issued two funding opportunities for the development of carbon capture large-scale pilot projects and integrated carbon capture and storage projects at coal or natural gas generation facilities and at industrial facilities that are not purposed for electric generation.
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) on January 27, 2023, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office that makes available $47 million to support the research, development, and demonstration of affordable hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The FOA further advances the Biden administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It also supports the goals of the H2@Scale Initiative, which aims to advance affordable hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization, and aligns with DOE’s Hydrogen Shot, which targets affordable clean hydrogen production at $1/kg within the decade.
While no one has a crystal ball for what 2023 will hold for the energy industry, the seemingly widespread support for green technology and clean energy is expected to carry through this year. In our industry outlook, “The Trends—and Traps—That Will Shape 2023,” we highlight some of the major green energy tax credit trends.
The Biden administration released the US National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization (Blueprint) on January 10, 2023, setting forth a strategy for decarbonizing the transportation sector in order to achieve the economy-wide 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction goals.
Later this month, the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support the research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) of affordable hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. EERE’s notice stated that the FOA will focus on key hydrogen delivery and storage technologies and durable fuel cell technologies, particularly for heavy-duty trucks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and eliminate pollution from the tailpipe.
On December 13, 2022, the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to make available up to $1.236 billion of funding to promote the development of four Regional Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hubs. This FOA is intended to accelerate the commercialization of, and demonstrate the processing, transport, geologic storage, and conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from the atmosphere.