DOE Announces $59M Funding Opportunity Related to Hydrogen

WASHINGTON — The Department of Energy is making $59 million available to accelerate the research, development, demonstration and deployment of affordable clean-hydrogen technologies.

Specifically, the funding, which is being administered by the DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, will be allocated to projects that will advance fueling infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, develop and demonstrate hydrogen-based, zero-emissions equipment for seaport facilities, address the challenges of siting, permitting and installation of such technology, and ensure equitable deployment of clean energy systems.

Projects to be funded will fall under one of these topic areas:

• Topic 1: Components for Hydrogen Fueling of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. This topic seeks proposals to develop advanced components that will enable gaseous and/or liquid hydrogen fueling at refueling stations for MD/HD hydrogen-powered vehicles. 
• Topic 2: Standardized Hydrogen Refueling Station of the Future. This topic seeks proposals to develop and demonstrate a low-cost, standardized and replicable advanced hydrogen fueling station of the future — one that can meet the needs of commercial-scale MD/HD truck fueling. 
• Topic 3: Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Powered Port Equipment. This topic seeks proposals to design, develop and demonstrate hydrogen fuel cell port applications, such as cargo-handling equipment or systems for providing shore power to docked vessels.
• Topic 4: Enabling Permitting and Safety for Hydrogen Deployment. This topic seeks proposals to help determine the primary challenges to siting, permitting and installation across the value chain from hydrogen production through end-use, and to help identify opportunities to address them.
• Topic 5: Equitable Hydrogen Technology Community Engagement. This topic seeks proposals to improve the capacity of DOE and DOE-funded projects to conduct effective community-engagement activities. Funded projects will conduct direct engagement with a disadvantaged community to gain better understanding of their concerns and provide them with important information about hydrogen and related technologies, as well as develop lessons learned and best practices on Community Benefits Plans.

Department officials said by improving key technologies, spurring deployment and helping industry achieve economies of scale, the projects will support and reinforce the long-term viability of DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs and other commercial-scale hydrogen installations. 

DOE is compiling a teaming partner list to facilitate the formation of project teams for this FOA. This list will allow organizations that may wish to participate on a project to express their interest to other applicants and explore potential partnerships. 

The list will be regularly updated to reflect new teaming partners who provide their organizational information.

For more information on this funding opportunity, click here.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue