By Robert Zullo
New Jersey Mirror, Oct. 23, 2022
Across the country, states are inking agreements with neighbors or striking out on their own to pursue billions in federal funding to set up “hydrogen hubs,” clustered centers for production, storage and use of the gas that many see as a crucial piece of the puzzle for decarbonizing the U.S. economy.
How broad a role it should play, however, is a matter of debate.
The U.S. Department of Energy is looking to dole out $7 billion from last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law that could fund up to 10 regional clean hydrogen hubs, defined as “a network of clean hydrogen producers, potential clean hydrogen consumers and connective infrastructure located in close proximity” to be sited across the country.
“The H2Hubs will be a central driver in helping communities across the country benefit from clean energy investments, good-paying jobs and improved energy security – all while supporting President Biden’s goal of a net-zero carbon economy by 2050,” the department said in a news release last month, calling the federal cash infusion one of the largest in the DOE’s history.
That pool of money joins provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act – which created a clean hydrogen production tax credit and enacted big changes in carbon capture tax credits – that could also boost hydrogen.
“Some states are going to be motivated by climate goals. Hydrogen is an important tool for achieving those climate goals,” said Bryan Willson, a professor of mechanical engineering and executive director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University. “Others are really motivated by economic development and hydrogen represents a tremendous new business opportunity.”
Read the full article on the New Jersey Mirror.
