Department of Energy seeks to cut cost of hydrogen by 80%

The Department of Energy (DOE) on June 7 launched an effort to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per kilogram in one decade.

The initiative is part of the newly launched DOE Energy “Earthshots Initiative,” which DOE said aims to accelerate breakthroughs of more abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy solutions within the decade.

DOE noted that currently hydrogen from renewable energy costs about $5 per kilogram. By achieving the 80% cost reduction goal, “we can unlock a five-fold increase in demand by increasing clean hydrogen production from pathways such as renewables, nuclear, and thermal conversion,” DOE said.

The announcement followed Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s commitment, made during President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate, to propel next-generation technologies in key clean energy sectors. The Energy Earthshots effort will drive integrated program development across DOE’s science, applied energy offices, and ARPA-E to address tough technological challenges and cost hurdles, and rapidly advance solutions to help achieve climate and economic competitiveness goal, according to DOE.  

As part of the launch, at the DOE’s Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting, DOE’s hydrogen program issued a request for information (RFI) on viable hydrogen demonstrations. 

Topics in the RFI include: 

• Hydrogen production, resources, and infrastructure 
• End users for hydrogen-based on specific regions, cost, and value propositions
• Greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions reduction potential
• Diversity, equity, inclusion, jobs, and environmental justice
• Science and innovation needs and challenges 

Responses are due July 7, 2021, by 5 p.m. ET.

For more information about the RFI, visit EERE Exchange. 

Additional information on DOE’s efforts to enable at-scale clean hydrogen is available here.

APPA issues new report on hydrogen

The American Public Power Association this week released a report on hydrogen that offers a perspective on where the emerging hydrogen market is in the U.S. and globally, what is driving the growing interest in hydrogen and what obstacles are preventing hydrogen technology from being able to scale-up.

Topics covered in the report include:

• Hydrogen 101
• The hydrogen market
• Drivers of adoption
• Challenges to use
• Applications
• Public power utility activities

The report is available for free to members of APPA.