Sec. 3. Clean hydrogen and fuel cell technology research and development program
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The Secretary, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, shall conduct a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to enable production, distribution, and use of clean hydrogen, including in energy storage, industrial applications, building, power, and transportation sector applications, and to advance the development of related hydrogen infrastructure. In carrying out such program, the Secretary shall award financial assistance through a competitive, merit-reviewed process and consider applications from eligible entities.
In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall coordinate with the heads of relevant Federal agencies to determine a comprehensive set of technical milestones for the activities and focus on research and development challenges across the hydrogen supply chain for various applications, including clean hydrogen production, the supply of hydrogen, storage of hydrogen, transportation of hydrogen, and end uses of hydrogen that advance the following: Clean hydrogen production from diverse energy sources.
Clean hydrogen transportation, distribution, and end use efficiency. Clean hydrogen and hydrogen-related technologies for the production of the following: High- and low-temperature heat in industry and the built environment, including low-emission production of cement, iron, steel, and other metals. Improved environmental performance of petroleum-based transportation fuels with clean hydrogen. Sustainable chemical products and materials. Sustainable synthetic fuels. Energy storage for electric grid flexibility and long duration energy storage.
Hydrogen blending for power generation, industrial use, and other end use applications relating to fuel cell performance, reliability, durability, and cost. Fuel cell technologies for transportation and stationary applications. Domestic fuel cell manufacturing capabilities. Hydrogen and hydrogen carrier technologies as a fuel for electric transportation and stationary applications powered by fuel cells. Dynamic control systems needed to integrate clean hydrogen production and end users with sources of reliable and affordable low-emission power.
Computational tools for lifecycle assessments and economic analysis of the entire supply chain of clean hydrogen production and utilization. Hydrogen fueling of various vehicle classes and vocations. Safe, durable, and affordable materials for hydrogen-related technologies. Methods for integrating carbon capture and storage and waste by-product treatment technologies, including considerations for produced water, into clean hydrogen system processes. In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall carry out research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities to advance the following:
Clean hydrogen production, including the following: Production from water splitting, including the following: Fresh, salt, and, wastewater and steam electrolysis using low-emission electricity sources. Development of catalysts using alternatives to rare earth metals. Thermochemical water splitting using low-emission power sources. Production from biomass and organic carbon waste conversion, which may include biomass-derived liquid reformation and biomass gasification with a focus on the following:
Optimizing processes and addressing challenges related to different biomass feedstock characteristics, including biomass and waste blends. Improvement of energy conversion efficiency. Development and optimization of catalysts for given feedstocks. Production from a direct hydrogen carrier, such as ammonia or methanol with carbon capture and sequestration, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers. Biological hydrogen production, which may include the following: Dark or photo-assisted fermentation.
Microbial electrolysis. Bio- or bio-inspired photolysis. Hybrid systems combining multiple bio- or bio-inspired processes. Production from hydrocarbons to carbon-free hydrogen or to hydrogen with carbon capture and sequestration, which may include the following: Development of nonprecious and nontoxic metal catalysts and electrodes. Development of effective reactor design. Use of heat from noncombustion source. Development of advanced materials of construction for improved reactor performance and lifetimes and reduced capital costs.
Reduction of water usage. Development of catalytic processes to convert natural gas to carbon-free hydrogen and solid carbon materials. Development of suitable treatment of waste by-products. Production of clean hydrogen at a place of consumption where demand from many use cases can be satisfied, including airports supplying air-side aircraft, support vehicles, and ground-side services for hydrogen electric buses, trucks, and cars. Production from nuclear power and heat, including from advanced nuclear reactors.
Production from renewable energy sources. Production of hydrogen carriers. Production from integrated energy systems (as such term is defined in section 1310 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 ( 42 U.S.C. 17387 )). Hydrogen storage, including the following: Gas compression and liquefaction, including improving liquefaction efficiency. Chemical storage, including the following: Porous materials. Liquid hydrogen carriers, which may include the following: Liquid organic hydrogen carriers with needed improvement of the chemistry of dehydrogenation through catalyst development.
Liquid ammonia with needed improvement of the fundamental chemistry of dehydrogenation and hydrogen purity after dehydrogenation. Diverse physical storage methodologies for hydrogen, including liquid hydrogen, hydrogen carriers, and hydrogen blends in the form of a solid, liquid, or gas, including distribution tanks, on site storage, storage onboard vehicles, and geologic storage. Development of advanced storage materials and systems for large-scale hydrogen storage, including long-duration storage, with a focus on low-cost, ambient-temperature, and high-energy density materials and systems.
Assessment of regional geology, including seismic assessments, infrastructure requirements, and materials of construction for the storage of hydrogen in geologic formations, including salt domes, caverns, depleted oil gas reservoirs, aquifers, surface porous media, and natural gas storage sites. Assessment of hydrogen and hydrogen blend storage processes, including physical, chemical, and biological processes within geological formations, that could impact the longevity and reversibility of geologic storage.
Development of advanced tools and technologies to convert or transform natural gas geologic storage sites into hydrogen storage sites. Metal hydride materials, such as magnesium-containing systems with a focus on the following: Improvement of kinetics of hydrogen uptake and release. Decreasing working temperatures, to ambient or near ambient conditions. Hydrogen transportation, delivery, and fueling infrastructure, including the following: Improvement in energy efficiency, maintenance of hydrogen purity, and minimization of potential hydrogen leakage, including from hydrogen carriers.
Advancing a diverse range of distribution methods, including transmission by pipeline, transmission of liquid hydrogen carriers, and transmission of hydrogen blends. Advancing the feasibility of retrofitting or the modification of existing energy infrastructure, including existing natural gas transportation infrastructure, for the purpose of transportation and storage of significant quantities of hydrogen and hydrogen blends. Development and improvement of hydrogen and hydrogen fuel specific sensor technologies to detect and mitigate potential risks.
Clean hydrogen utilization, including the following: Power generation utilization, including the retrofit or development of hydrogen fueled turbines, reversible fuel cells or hybrid cycle fuel cells, and hydrogen blends for power applications. Energy storage, including the development of long-term energy storage systems for grid, back-up power, microgrid and other applications. Transportation fuel utilization. Industrial utilization, including the utilization of hydrogen and hydrogen blends for diverse applications.
Agricultural utilization. Other applications, as determined by the Secretary. Advanced manufacturing technologies and methods for clean hydrogen and hydrogen-related technologies. Hydrogen carrier recycling and reuse. Safe, durable, and affordable materials for clean hydrogen, hydrogen carrier, and hydrogen-related technologies. Advanced technologies and methods for safe hydrogen transportation, distribution, and utilization, such as hydrogen infrastructure monitoring and controls and combustion characterization technologies.
Other research areas that advance the purposes of the program, as determined by the Secretary. In carrying out with the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall support research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities to advance fuel cell technologies for transportation and stationary applications with a focus on reducing fuel cell system cost and improving overall system efficiency and durability over a wide range of operating conditions. In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall develop tools, technologies, and methods for the following:
Fuel cell durability, which may include the following: Improving understanding of catalyst and membrane degradation and mitigating performance degradation, including at high and low power conditions. Improving fuel cell tolerance to air, fuel, and system-derived impurities. Improving stationary fuel cells to achieve greater than 80,000 hours of durability, including improving durability under start-up and transient operation for high-temperature fuel cells. Improving fundamental understanding of failure mechanisms to develop mitigation strategies.
Activities to update and accelerate testing protocols to enable projection of durability. Improving system balance-of-plant component efficiency, responsiveness, adaptation to fuel cell aging conditions, reactant’s impurity, environmental variability, and durability. Development of lower cost fuel cell materials, components, and assemblies. Fuel cell performance, which may include research to improve the performance and efficiency of the following: Cathodes. Water quality controls.
Stack water management, including membranes in fuel cells to enable effective water management and operation in low humidity and subfreezing environments. System thermal and water management, including research to improve the following: Heat utilization, cooling, and humidification techniques. Efficiency of heat recovery systems, system designs, advanced heat exchangers, and higher temperature operation of current systems. Techniques to manage water during start-up and shutdown at subfreezing temperatures.
Management of nonuniform conditions caused by variable thermal and current density gradients. System air management. System start-up and shutdown time and transient operation. Utilizing direct hydrogen carriers, such as ammonia, methane, and methanol. Reversible fuel cells. Catalyst and electrode design, which may include the following: Developing catalysts that reduce or eliminate platinum-group metal loading while maintaining or improving upon performance and durability. Increasing durability and stability of catalysts during potential cycling.
Increasing tolerance of catalysts to air, fuel, and other system derived impurities. Increasing catalyst utilization. Developing catalysts and catalyst support with high durability at high voltages. Design and demonstration of scalable production of novel catalysts. Optimization of electrode design and assembly for efficient water and thermal management. Electrolyte synthesis and development. Fuel cell membrane development, including polymer electrolyte member and alkaline electrolyte member development.
Membrane electrode materials, assemblies, cells, and other stack components, including demonstration of small-scale production of novel membrane electrode assemblies. Solid oxide fuel cell development, including the following: Cell development on individual cell components that increases power density, reduces degradation, and reduces costs. Balance-of-plant and stack components that improve reliability and robustness and reduce degradation and costs. Systems development. Protonic ceramic fuel cell development.
Other research areas that advance the purposes of the program, as determined by the Secretary. In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall support the development of standardized testing and technical validation of hydrogen and hydrogen-related technologies, including fuel cell technologies, through collaboration with one or more National Laboratories, and one or more eligible entities.
In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall leverage resources and expertise from across the Department, including the following: The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Basic Energy Sciences Program, Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program, and the Biological and Environmental Research Program of the Office of Science. The Office of Fossil Energy. The Office of Nuclear Energy. The Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy. The Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall periodically determine the status of achievement of the comprehensive set of technical milestones referred to in subsection (b).
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Sec. 3
Clean hydrogen and fuel cell technology research and development program
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