The US Department of Energy is earmarking $160 million to develop improved technologies for the production, transport, storage and utilisation of hydrogen with net-zero carbon emissions.

The funding will help recalibrate the nation’s fossil fuel and power infrastructure for decarbonised energy and commodity production, the DOE says in announcing its plan.

The grants will go to projects including hydrogen production with net-zero carbon emissions from gasification of mixed wastes, biomass and traditional feedstocks; solid oxide electrolysis cell technology; carbon capture; advanced turbines; hydrogen production using natural gas; hydrogen pipeline projects; and subsurface hydrogen storage.

Interested parties can now seek the federal money for the hydrogen research. The projects will be managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory, Kallanish understands.

The grants are coming from the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy. It says that fossil fuels currently provide the lowest cost for producing hydrogen and the DOE grants will go to projects that improve the performance, reliability and flexibility of methods to produce, transport, store and use hydrogen.