Biden administration releases framework to accelerate clean hydrogen

The Biden-Harris administration released a framework for accelerating the production, processing, delivery, storage, and use of clean hydrogen.

The U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap provides a snapshot of hydrogen production, transport, storage, and use in the United States as well as a vision for how clean hydrogen will contribute to national decarbonization goals.

“Accelerating the deployment of hydrogen is key to achieving President Biden’s vision for an affordable, secure clean energy future,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “That’s why DOE worked alongside our federal partners to develop the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap that will lay the foundation for a strong and productive partnership between the public and private sectors and will guide government and industry to realize the full potential of this incredibly versatile energy resource.”

The roadmap also examines strategic opportunities for the domestic production of 10 million metric tonnes (MMT) of clean hydrogen annually by 2030, 20 MMT annually by 2040, and 50 MMT annually by 2050. In addition, it complements a $9.5 billion investment for clean hydrogen through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ongoing research and development efforts across the federal government, as well as policy incentives—including a new production tax credit for clean hydrogen.

“President Biden understands that growing America’s clean hydrogen capability can spur good-paying union jobs, support local economic development, and help decarbonize industries long seen as ‘hard to decarbonize,’” Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said. “This roadmap will align the private and public sectors on a shared path to drive faster toward a cleaner, more secure energy future.”

The roadmap identifies three key strategies to ensure that clean hydrogen is developed and adopted as an effective decarbonization tool.

One, it targets strategic, high-impact uses for clean hydrogen, which will ensure that clean hydrogen will be utilized in the highest benefit applications, where limited alternatives exist, such as the industrial sector, heavy-duty transportation, and long-duration energy storage.

Two, it focuses on reducing the cost of clean hydrogen by catalyzing innovation and scale, stimulating private sector investments, and developing the clean hydrogen supply chain.

Three, it will focus on regional networks with large-scale clean hydrogen production and end-use in close proximity, enabling maximum benefit from infrastructure investment and driving scale.

This final version of the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap reflects feedback from across the Administration, stakeholders in industry, academia, and the non-profit sector, as well as state, local, and Tribal governments. It also incorporates findings from the DOE’s March 2023 report, Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Clean Hydrogen.

The administration added that clean hydrogen offers substantial economic benefits and will help create tens of thousands of new jobs. It will also play a vital future role in reducing emissions from some of the most energy-intensive sectors of the economy, including industrial and chemical processes and heavy-duty transportation. Further, it can support the expansion of renewable power by providing a means for long-duration energy storage.