More Than $16 Million Now Available to Advance Innovation in Clean Hydrogen

Supports Research, Development, and Demonstration Projects and Helps Leverage Federal Funding Opportunities

March 15, 2024

Governor Hochul today announced more than $16 million is now available to advance innovation in clean hydrogen through the Hydrogen and Clean Fuel Program. This funding will support research, development, and demonstration projects and also help leverage federal hydrogen funding opportunities, promoting the use of clean hydrogen in industrial processes, clean transportation, energy storage and for grid support. Today's announcement supports the State’s nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to transition to 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040.

"New York is taking the lead to build a clean hydrogen ecosystem and growing the nascent industry," Governor Hochul said. "As we continue to foster the green economy, advancing alternative fuels is an important way to reduce emissions economy-wide and create new clean energy job opportunities.”

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), this funding is now available through two competitive opportunities under the Hydrogen and Clean Fuel Program an $11 million RD&D solicitation and a $5 million rolling solicitation that can provide cost share support for entities successfully applying for federal hydrogen funding for New York-based projects. Environmental justice and disadvantaged community stakeholder perspectives have been instrumental in shaping the areas of focus for the solicitations.

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Meeting New York’s ambitious emissions reduction goals requires an equally bold approach to supporting innovation and new technologies, which is demonstrated by the State’s ongoing investment in clean hydrogen research and development. As the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen is a natural solution that provides fuel for the sun and holds the same powerful potential for the clean energy transition.”

Applicants for both solicitations may be comprised of single entities or teams and must address one of the five technical challenges ranging from industrial applications for clean hydrogen to hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

Proposals will be accepted in the following categories:

• Product Development – Advance efforts that are crucial to the development of a marketable technology product, system, strategy, or service and any testing or validation of an innovation that is not already commercially available and may lead to the commercialization of products manufactured in New York State.
• Pilot and Demonstration Projects – Demonstrate and test innovative technologies, systems, strategies, or services that require testing to reach commercialization or are already commercially available but have not yet gained industry acceptance or significant deployment in New York State.

This is the second round of funding being offered for research, development and demonstration projects and applications will be accepted through 3:00 p.m. on July 15, 2024. Proposals that were received in Round One are being evaluated and awards are anticipated in the third quarter of 2024.

Applications for the cost share funding opportunity will be accepted on a first come, first served basis through 3:00 p.m. on June 26, 2025. For additional information and associated documents, visit NYSERDA’s website .

To assist potential proposers in finding partners to team with for these and future hydrogen solicitations, NYSERDA has created a new partnering platform . Interested entities may submit their information voluntarily to identify potential partners for collaboration.

New York State Public Service Commission Chair Rory M. Christian said, “Developing new alternative fuels is a key component for our future clean-energy economy, and developing a clean-hydrogen system is part of that overall initiative. This critically needed funding through the Hydrogen and Clean Fuel Program will help develop and deploy new approaches for reducing emissions.”

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, “New York’s significant investments to meet the climate challenge are advancing research and development to complement the State’s sustained efforts to reduce fossil fuel use and support implementation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, $16 million is now available to bolster research and innovation into clean hydrogen, aiding our transition to a clean energy economy and greener environment.”

Hydrogen and Low Carbon Fuels Regional Head DNV Amit Goyal said, “While tax credits included in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act will significantly improve the economics of clean hydrogen projects, the reality is that individual states must also take direct action to accelerate domestic clean hydrogen production and use. Governor Hochul and NYSERDA deserve recognition for their bold efforts to accelerate the production and use of clean and reliable hydrogen power in New York. NYSERDA’s initiative for industrial process heat applications, high volume dense storage, supporting microgrids and enabling heavy duty transport is exactly the kind of state-level support that is needed to complement federal incentives and help further catalyze the hydrogen economy.”

These initiatives were developed in alignment with the Climate Action Council’s Scoping Plan which identified the strategic use of low-carbon fuels such as clean hydrogen as an important means of decarbonizing sectors that are traditionally challenging to electrify. In addition, as proposed in NYSERDA’s Energy Storage Roadmap under consideration with the New York State Public Service Commission, as New York moves to decarbonize its electric grid with renewable energy, at least 18 gigawatts (GW) of zero-carbon, firm, dispatchable long duration energy storage capacity is required by 2050.

Today’s announcement builds on New York State’s investments in research, development, and commercialization to support innovators that are accelerating the low emissions and carbon sequestering technologies needed to meet the State’s goal for economy-wide carbon neutrality. NYSERDA’s Innovation Program is deploying $800 million over 10 years as direct investments via grants and wrap-around commercialization support. More than $680 million in private investments and $200 million in project finance capital have been enabled, and more than 450 innovative clean energy products have been commercialized as a result of NYSERDA's technology and business development investments, including LED lighting systems, home appliances, longer-lasting batteries, and more efficient heating-and-cooling systems.

Funding for these initiatives is through the State’s 10-year, $6 billion Clean Energy Fund (CEF) and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). More information about the CEF is available on NYSERDA’s website. For more information about RGGI, please visit NYSERDA’s website.

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State's climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is advancing a suite of efforts – including the New York Cap-and-Invest program (NYCI) and other complementary policies – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. New York is also on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York's unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $40 billion in 64 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the State, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, nearly $3 billion for clean transportation initiatives and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 170,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector as of 2022 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with more than 400 registered and more than 130 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the State to help target air pollution and combat climate change.