As those interested and involved in advancing the hydrogen and fuel cell footprint in the United States (U.S.) wait on 45V tax guidance and Hydrogen Hub contract negotiations to finalize, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently injected a major research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) investment to move the ball down the field.

 In addition to the $7 billion allocated to the now famous Hydrogen Hubs, the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) also authorized a total of $1.5 billion for RDD&D activities in the Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling Program.  On March 13, DOE announced $750 million in funding to support 52 projects in 24 states. 

Since our last new member update in June, the Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) has welcomed 13 additional members to the association.

The Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) has welcomed fourteen new members to the association since the first of the year!  Learn more about them in this post.

The public and private sector are doubling down on its commitment to deploying what experts say is a crucial piece to a net zero carbon future. A recent report by the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA) proclaimed the 2020’s as the “decade of hydrogen,” with the industry primed to see rapid growth similar to what wind energy saw in the 1990’s, solar in the 2000’s, or batteries in the 2010’s.

FCHEA memership grew by quite a bit in 2022! Read about the 13 companies that joined in the second half of the year.

Hydrogen is increasingly important in a critical role in our nation’s energy transition, providing a reliable fuel for storage and grid management.

The Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub program is intended to demonstrate the large-scale production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of clean hydrogen, through the deployment of at least 4 hubs across the United States. The Hubs program is driving significant interest both in the public and private sectors, with groups across the country announcing plans to pursue funds from the program.

The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by countries actively using hydrogen today, and Japan, South Korea and Australia are collectively committed to expanding hydrogen networks despite the distance between them.

Hydrogen development and usage in Africa is currently poised for a revolution, as multiple countries across the continent begin to utilize clean hydrogen and visualize it being a major part of the future energy economy.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 was recently introduced by Senators Manchin and Majority Leader Schumer. The new legislation would invest $369 billion in energy security and climate change provisions, including new and critical ones for hydrogen and fuel cells.

The mining industry, with its focus on extracting the necessary minerals and fuels that power the modern economy, is the perfect example of a hard-to-decarbonize sector. The machinery is huge, energy-intensive, and switching to electric battery systems can hurt productivity by increasing charging time. Hydrogen is the solution that mining companies have been looking for. By utilizing hydrogen, companies can keep the heavy machinery online and productive, so it seems likely that more hydrogen-powered machines and mines will appear in the future, reducing carbon emissions in local mine environments and across the planet.

China and India have recognized the value of hydrogen and have been working hard to establish domestic clean hydrogen production chains over the last couple of years.

When it comes to support for the hydrogen industry, Europe is a leader with dedicated government programs for various hydrogen projects and goals. 2021 and 2022 have seen significant announcements across the continent.

As the hydrogen economy continues to expand, countries around the world have begun to invest in domestic hydrogen industries and zones to meet urgent decarbonization goals. Following up on FCHEA’s previous international update, this blogpost will cover the significant development of hydrogen projects in Central and South America.

Today we’re focusing on a relatively new energy use for hydrogen and fuel cells, expanding access to clean power for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in-hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). We all need to work together to decarbonize our society and fuel cells and hydrogen have many different roles to play, both on and off the road.

Seven innovative companies have joined FCHEA in the first quarter of 2022. Meet our newest members!

The shift to renewable energy requires expansion of energy storage, particularly at scale. Hydrogen is emerging as a significant opportunity for this space as it allows for vast quantities of clean energy to be stored for long durations for peak demand and seasonal energy balancing.

The last year has seen many government and stakeholders embrace the strengths of hydrogen to reduce carbon emissions. In order to continue to develop the use of hydrogen, increasing production of hydrogen through various low-carbon methods will be critical. Across the United States (U.S.), the industry is expanding hydrogen production capacity today, demonstrating the range of ways to utilize the country’s existing resources.

Steelmaking is an energy-intensive industry, which is hard to decarbonize due to the heat required for the reduction of iron ore in the creation of steel. This process has historically relied on coal for the necessary heat, which releases carbon monoxide and dioxide. Hydrogen offers an alternative to greatly reduce carbon emissions from this process, largely replacing coal for combustion and direct reactions.

Aviation is a hard-to-decarbonize industry, and hydrogen can be used to fuel aerial vehicles both through direct use in fuel cell electric powertrains and in the creation of synthetic fuels that reduce carbon emissions from traditional aircraft fuel. Due to a high energy density, hydrogen provides a robust source of lightweight energy that allows air travel without carbon emissions.