Making hydrogen power a reality is featured topic at 2022 MIT Energy Initiative Spring Symposium

The future of hydrogen power was featured topic during the 2022 Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Energy Initiative Spring Symposium according to a story published in a recent edition of MIT News. SARTA CEO and OH2 Alliance leader Kirt Conrad said the discussion a bright spotlight on the exciting opportunities created by hydrogen’s growing role as an integral component of the nation’s “all of the above” energy strategy and the need for Ohio officials to seize that opportunity by convincing the U.S. Department of Energy to locate a clean hydrogen hub in the state. The experts confirmed what we have been saying since we formed the Alliance,” Mr. Conrad said. “Now is the time for hydrogen, and the race for national and global leadership is on. We are doing everything in our power to ensure that Ohio wins that race.”

Here are excerpts from the article:

For decades, government and industry have looked to hydrogen as a potentially game-changing tool in the quest for clean energy. As far back as the early days of the Clinton administration, energy sector observers and public policy experts have extolled the virtues of hydrogen — to the point that some people have joked that hydrogen is the energy of the future, “and always will be.”

Even as wind and solar power have become commonplace in recent years, hydrogen has been held back by high costs and other challenges. But the fuel may finally be poised to have its moment. At the MIT Energy Initiative Spring Symposium — entitled “Hydrogen’s role in a decarbonized energy system” — experts discussed hydrogen production routes, hydrogen consumption markets, the path to a robust hydrogen infrastructure, and policy changes needed to achieve a “hydrogen future.”

During one panel, “Options for producing low-carbon hydrogen at scale,” four experts laid out existing and planned efforts to leverage hydrogen for decarbonization. 

Huyen N. Dinh, a senior scientist and group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is the director of HydroGEN, a consortium of several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories that accelerates research and development of innovative and advanced water splitting materials and technologies for clean, sustainable, and low-cost hydrogen production.

For the past 14 years, Dinh has worked on fuel cells and hydrogen production for NREL. “We think that the 2020s is the decade of hydrogen,” she said. Dinh believes that the energy carrier is poised to come into its own over the next few years, pointing to several domestic and international activities surrounding the fuel and citing a Hydrogen Council report that projected the future impacts of hydrogen — including 30 million jobs and $2.5 trillion in global revenue by 2050. “Now is the time for hydrogen, and the global race is on,” she said

“We’re very excited to see hydrogen go from a [research and development] conversation to a commercial conversation,” Colleen Wright, vice president of corporate strategy for Constellation said. “We’ve been calling it a little bit of a ‘middle-school dance.’ Everybody is standing around the circle, waiting to see who’s willing to put something at stake. But this is real. We’re not dancing around the edges. There are a lot of people who are big players, who are willing to put skin in the game today.”

JobsOhio, SARTA study: Ohio is poised to lead hydrogen economy, is a prime location for Clean Hydrogen Hub

COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 21, 2022) – Developing a Hydrogen Economy in Ohio: Challenges and Opportunities, a comprehensive study released today by JobsOhio and the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA), asserts that Ohio is poised to become a leader in the clean hydrogen-fueled, zero-emission economy of the 21st Century. The report also validates Ohio as a prime location for a Clean Hydrogen Hub, as defined by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).  The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) appropriated $10 billion to DOE for the creation of at least four Clean Hydrogen Hubs across the United States.

The highly detailed, data-driven study identifies:

• Factors that give Ohio an advantage in developing and deploying hydrogen technology
• Existing and potential hydrogen end-users
• Opportunities for growth in hydrogen-based markets: hydrogen-burning power plants, hydrogen fuel cell electric-powered vehicles, etc.
• Potential challenges that may impede the expansion of hydrogen-based markets

Read the complete Jobs Ohio/SARTA press release and view/download the Report by clicking on the icons below.

Members urged to respond to Clean Hydrogen Hub RFI and Alliance survey, information will shape DOE’s  Funding Opportunity Announcement and enable coalition to begin crafting successful response

On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to obtain public input regarding the solicitation process and structure of the DOE’s Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the establishment of regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (CHH). Funding for the Hubs was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The RFI seeks input on:

• Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub Provisions and Requirements
• Solicitation Process, FOA structure, and Implementation Strategy
• Equity, Environmental and Energy Justice (EEEJ) Priorities
• Market Adoption and Sustainability of the Hubs

The Ohio Clean Energy Hub Alliance encourages all members to submit responses to the RFI because the information gathered by the DOE will play an important role in shaping the FOA. The RFI may be viewed/downloaded by clicking or tapping the DOE icon. 

Responses to the RFI must be submitted electronically to [email protected] no later than 5:00pm (ET) on March 8, 2022, with subject line “H2Hubs RFI response.” Detailed submission guidelines may be found on page 20 of the document. All members are asked to forward a copy of their responses to the Alliance via email to [email protected].

The Alliance is also seeking information from members that will enable us to begin the demanding work of drafting our response to the FOA. The information you provide will be extremely valuable as we continue our campaign to secure a CHH for Ohio. All responses submitted will be kept confidential.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and for your commitment to making Ohio a leader in the clean hydrogen economy.