Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Newsletter: November 2019–January 2020

The November 2019–January 2020 issue of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Newsletter includes stories in these categories:

In the News

A Look Back at 2019 for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

As the New Year begins, this is a great time to look back at a few examples of progress and exciting news from the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program in 2019:  

  • More than a $40 million DOE investment funded the kick off of 29 projects to advance the H2@scale vision of large-scale hydrogen production, storage, transport, and use across sectors. Among the projects selected, three will demonstrate integrated H2@scale systems in Texas, Illinois, and Florida. An additional project, funded through DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, will incorporate hydrogen production with a nuclear power plant to supply regional demands for hydrogen, such as steelmaking or fleet fuel cell vehicles.
  • A successful DOE collaboration between the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Vehicles, and Bioenergy Technology offices resulted in a $50 million investment in 24 projects that will address research and development (R&D) challenges in gaseous fuels, including hydrogen and fuel cell R&D for medium- and heavy-duty transportation.
  • Launched in 2019, the Center for Hydrogen Safety (CHS) promotes hydrogen safety and best practices worldwide, providing access to 60,000 stakeholders in hydrogen safety, codes and standards across 110 countries.
  • The research community, government, and the private sector came together in various DOE workshops to identify R&D gaps in and next steps for large-scale hydrogen use including in the data center, rail, and maritime sectors.
  • Increased global collaboration in hydrogen emerged as a predominant theme during multiple international engagements with minister-level participation including the Hydrogen, Clean Energy, and G20 Ministerials. These meetings set key priority areas and provided guidance for working level participation in partnerships between governments, including the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE), of which the United States is Chair and Japan is Vice-Chair. 

DOE Sets Targets for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks 

The Program, in collaboration with the Vehicle Technologies Office, established technical targets for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in long haul tractor trailer truck applications. These targets will help guide early stage R&D and serve as benchmarks for tracking technology.

U.S. Industry H2 Roadmap Preview Unveiled at Fuel Cell Seminar

Industry stakeholders came together to develop a hydrogen roadmap to guide next steps in hydrogen technology deployment. The report's executive summary was released in November 2019 during the Fuel Cell Seminar in Long Beach, California.  

Global Action Agenda and International Hydrogen Report Released

Two documents guiding international collaboration on hydrogen and fuel cells were released this year during events in Japan. The International Energy Agency's report on hydrogen was released during the G20 summit in June 2019 while the Global Action Agenda was released at the Hydrogen Ministerial Meeting in October 2019. These documents identify concrete actions that industry and government can take to accelerate the widespread use of hydrogen.

Funding Opportunities and Requests for Information

DOE Announces Potential Investment in H2@Scale Market Advancements

DOE announced a Notice of Intent (NOI) to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to advance innovations that will build new markets for the H2@Scale initiative. EERE plans to issue the FOA in early 2020 via the EERE Exchange website: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.

DOE SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2 Funding Opportunity Includes Hydrogen Topic

DOE's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement to advance multiple energy technology topics, including the production of low-cost hydrogen from off-shore wind power.

Webinars and Workshops

Save the Date: 2020 Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review (AMR)

The 2020 Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program AMR will be May 19–21, 2020, in Crystal City, Virginia. Registration is now open. Everyone who attends any portion of the AMR, including invited reviewers, must register in advance. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. We encourage you to make your hotel reservation early.

Webinar: January 28—HyRAM 2.0 Informs Hydrogen Risk Assessments   

On Wednesday, January 28, 2020, at 12 p.m. Eastern, the Fuel Cell Technologies Office will host a webinar about Hydrogen Risk Assessment Models (HyRAM). Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories will provide an overview of the models and provide specific examples of how they can be used to inform hydrogen risk assessments. Register for this webinar.

Workshop: January 21, 2020, Dayton, Ohio—Compressed Gas Storage   

As part of DOE's H2@Scale initiative, the Office will host a workshop to bring together technical experts in the medium- and heavy-duty transportation sector. Participants will identify technical and performance gaps, as well as specific metrics that can measure whether compressed gas storage technologies are competitive with incumbent technologies. Learn more about this upcoming workshop. Note: Space is limited and preference will be given to technical experts with relevant expertise in this topic.

Visit our website to see webinar archives or workshop presentations.

Studies, Reports, and Publications

Onboard Compressed Hydrogen Storage Cost Record Released

The Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program published Data Record 19008, which includes projected cost, gravimetric capacity, and volumetric capacity of a 700 bar Type IV compressed hydrogen storage system for automotive applications. The cost update reflects a 30% reduction since 2013, primarily due to lower cost carbon fiber, resin, and composite overwrap design, along with integrated balance of plant components. 

Current Domestic and Global Market Size Record Released

Program Data Record 19002 estimates domestic hydrogen production at approximately 10 MMT and the global hydrogen production at 65–100 MMT per year. It also includes a discussion about the variability of production estimates based on which segments of hydrogen production are included in the market size calculation. For example, some published studies of hydrogen production do not include all sources of hydrogen in all three hydrogen market segments (i.e., merchant, captive, and by-product hydrogen), and differences in the accounting methodologies can result in estimates that vary by up to a factor of ten.

Visit our website to access technical information about hydrogen and fuel cells in documents such as technical and project reports, conference proceedings and journal articles, technical presentations, and links to other websites.