Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced $28 million in federal funding for research and development (R&D) and front-end engineering design (FEED) projects that will advance clean hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel for transportation, industrial use and electricity production. Most hydrogen in the United States is traditionally produced using natural gas without carbon capture, which is not clean. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will leverage innovative approaches to produce clean hydrogen at lower costs from materials that include municipal solid waste, legacy coal waste, waste plastics and biomass with carbon capture and storage. These next-generation hydrogen technologies will play a significant role in decarbonizing the U.S. economy and advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“The Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management is committed to making clean energy sources more affordable through key initiatives like the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Shot, which seeks to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80 percent to $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade,” said Acting Assistant Secretary of FECM Dr. Jennifer Wilcox. “To help us achieve those targets, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides funding to demonstrate clean hydrogen solutions and prove them out at scale. Leveraging FECM’s hydrogen R&D and FEED experience, from past investments and those expected under this FOA, will establish a solid foundation for critical next-generation demonstrations that will allow us to more swiftly deliver clean, low-cost power to all Americans.”

Projects selected under this FOA will improve the performance, reliability and flexibility of methods to produce, transport, store and use clean hydrogen.;

Projects will be selected under five areas of interest:

• Clean Hydrogen Cost Reductions for Hydrogen Shot
• Clean Hydrogen from High-Volume Waste Materials and Biomass
• Sensors & Controls for Co-gasification of Waste Plastics in Production of Hydrogen with Carbon Capture 
• FEED Studies for Carbon Capture Systems at Domestic Steam Methane Reforming Facilities Producing H₂ from Natural Gas
• FEED Studies for Carbon Capture Systems at Domestic Autothermal Reforming Facilities Producing H₂ from Natural Gas

Read the full FOA and areas of interest here.

FECM funds research, development, demonstration and deployment projects to decarbonize power generation and industrial sources, to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and to mitigate the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use. Priority areas of technology work include point-source carbon capture, hydrogen with carbon management, methane emissions reduction, critical mineral production, and carbon dioxide removal. To learn more, visit the FECM website, sign up for FECM news announcements and visit the National Energy Technology Laboratory website.