Hydrogen
Background:
New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) enacts the most aggressive climate targets in the United States: 40 percent greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions below 1990 levels by 2030, a carbon free electricity system by 2040, and an 85 percent reduction in GHG below 1990 levels by 2050. Under the Climate Act, the State must also support a just transition and ensure that at least 35 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments go to disadvantaged communities with a goal of 40 percent.
As New York transitions to a clean energy economy, we are seeking to understand and explore all resources that may be available as part of the State’s comprehensive decarbonization strategy, including assessing the role of green hydrogen. Supporting innovation and studying all technologies will enable us to remain on the cutting edge of evolving solutions that will complement our existing decarbonization efforts in achieving the State’s ambitious Climate Act goals.
Core principles for examining the role that hydrogen may play in decarbonizing segments of New York’s economy include:
- Compliance of hydrogen solutions with the Climate Act
- No pre-conceived solutions
- Incorporation of the needs of frontline communities
- Policy options grounded in reality with an understanding of the current state of technology readiness, and acknowledge where additional innovation must occur in order for a solution to be viable; and
- Meaningful stakeholder engagement with opportunities for input throughout this discovery.
This web page will serve as a landing point identifying analyses underway, linking to results, and providing opportunities for stakeholders to stay engaged.
Stay Connected
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If you’d like to be considered by the NYSERDA Hydrogen and Clean Fuel program as a technical reviewer for our solicitations, please fill out this form.
Find Partners
If you’d like to register your entity and/or find collaboration partners, please visit the Partner Table.
Current Activities
Clean Hydrogen R&D Investment
More than $8 million awarded to support Clean Hydrogen Innovation projects
On October 3, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul announced nearly $8.1 million in awarded contracts to support clean hydrogen innovation projects to decarbonize industrial process heat, facilitate the integration of clean hydrogen production with renewable energy, and demonstrate hydrogen-based generation systems for grid support services. A summary of the selected projects is provided in the table below.
| Project Lead | Project Title | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Bettergy Corp. | Green Hydrogen from Low Temperature Microchannel Ammonia Reformer for High-grade Industrial Heat | Peekskill, New York |
| BST Systems, Inc. | A Zinc H2 Battery Integrated with Solar | Plainfield, Connecticut |
| Hydropore | Clean Hydrogen Production in Harmony with Intermittent Renewable Energy | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Orion Polymer Corp. | Next Generation Membrane Separator for Advanced Liquid Alkaline Electrolyzer | Cohoes, New York |
| Power to Hydrogen, LLC | Scaleup for Renewable Load Following Electrolysis | Columbus, Ohio |
| Standard Hydrogen Co. | Hydrogen Production and Onsite Storage in Ithaca | Ithaca, New York |
| SUNY Research Foundation (Binghamton University) | Perovskite Powered Hydrogen Production Using Low-Cost and Earth Abundant Catalysts | Binghamton, New York |
| Travertine Technologies, Inc. | Electrolytic Hydrogen and Sulfuric Acid Production for Sustainable Metal Refining and Recycling in New York State | Scottsville, New York |
Clean Hydrogen Investment Plan
On March 28, 2024, the Department of Public Service approved additional $4.8M for hydrogen innovation in NYSERDA Compiled Investment Plan (see pages 363-377), which includes the following areas:
- Front-end engineering design (FEED) studies for clean-hydrogen-powered fuel cell and combustion turbine power plants with peaking operating cycles to clarify New York specific development challenges.
- Supporting safety studies to address regulatory barriers restricting hydrogen transportation via key NYC bridges and tunnels.
As part of the Clean Energy Fund (CEF), a $27 million hydrogen innovation budget was approved in January 2023 in the NYSERDA Compiled Investment Plan (see pages 363-377 for Hydrogen Innovation) to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors, to support the transition away from natural gas, and to provide resilience solutions.
Stakeholder Engagement & Events
Since fall 2020, NYSERDA has convened a series of meetings, listening sessions, and direct discussions with individuals and groups across the stakeholder landscape to better understand diverse perspectives on hydrogen in New York and the Northeast region.
As a continuation of this robust engagement, NYSERDA has commenced a series of events – entitled “Hydrogen in NYS: State of the Science” – to provide a forum where interested participants can engage and learn from balanced discussions on a variety of critical hydrogen topics.
Please stay tuned for additional information regarding upcoming events in this series!
Recordings and materials from previous events are available under the ‘Resources and Recordings’ tab.
Learning from Federal and Global Partners
NYSERDA will continue to learn from the significant hydrogen activities and efforts underway by federal and global partners and jurisdictions, including:
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities: NYSERDA has expanded its Memorandum of Understanding with the Danish Ministry to include green hydrogen, furthering our collaboration on innovative technologies and strategies for decarbonization.
- Additional: NYSERDA will continue engaging and learning from global leaders who have identified hydrogen as a key strategy for achieving climate and decarbonization targets, including the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and others.
Center for Hydrogen Safety
NYSERDA joined the Center for Hydrogen Safety (Center) to ensure that New Yorkers will benefit from the latest in hydrogen safety and best practices. The Center is a community of over 75 government, industry, and research participants, working to ensure safety across the industry through research, technical conferences, and convening of an expert Hydrogen Safety Panel for project safety reviews.
HyBlend Collaborative Research Partnership
The HyBlend Collaborative Research Partnership (Partnership) is a coalition of National Laboratories, universities, and industry researchers working to understand the safety and feasibility of integrating hydrogen into existing gas infrastructure. Findings from the Partnership will allow NYSERDA and partner agencies to better assess the future of existing infrastructure in New York’s decarbonization strategy.
Resources & Recordings
‘Hydrogen in NYS: State of the Science’ Programming
In May 2022, NYSERDA commenced a series of events intended to provide a forum where interested participants can engage and learn from balanced discussions on the varying priorities, questions, and concerns related to hydrogen opportunities in New York and the Northeast region.
Descriptions, recordings, and materials for events in this series are made available below:
Kickoff Webinar
May 31, 2022
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
NYSERDA convened this half-day educational webinar as a springboard for its ongoing ‘Hydrogen in NYS: State of the Science” programming series. This foundational event aimed to provide stakeholders with a level-setting opportunity to discuss many of the key topics and considerations shaping the discourse around hydrogen in New York.
Sessions and topics covered included:
- Introduction to Hydrogen (H2)
- H2 in NYS: Supporting Analyses and Activities
- Climate & Environmental Justice Considerations
- H2 Primer Sessions: Production Pathways, Electrolyzers & Fuel Cells, Storage & Delivery, and Safety Considerations
Presentation Slides [PDF]
Past Activities
Closed Funding Opportunities
Closed Funding Opportunities
Round 2 of PON 5500 and PON 5712 - On March 15, 2024, more than $16M was made available to accelerate innovative solutions in clean hydrogen to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors and to support the transition to a resilient, zero-emission electric grid. This funding opportunity included a $11 M solicitation (Round 2 of PON 5500) and a $5 M rolling solicitation (PON 5712) for research, development, and demonstration projects promoting the use of clean hydrogen in industrial processes, clean transportation, energy storage and for grid support.
Round 1 of PON 5500 - On August 18, 2023, up to $8M was made available for clean hydrogen innovation to decarbonize industrial process heat and clean hydrogen production and integration with renewable energy. Submissions for Round 1 of PON 5500 were due on October 23, 2023.
PON 5322 - On May 24, 2023, Governor Hochul announced a $10 million clean hydrogen funding opportunity for federal funding opportunities. Submissions for PON 5322 were due on June 28, 2023.
On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, NYSERDA hosted a public webinar to provide an overview of PON 5322 and to answer questions.
Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub
In 2021, the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made available $8 billion in funding for the development of regional clean hydrogen hubs across the United States. The Northeast Hydrogen Hub brought together seven states, multiple project partners, and hundreds of stakeholders to develop a proposal for a comprehensive hydrogen ecosystem throughout the region that advances decarbonization, economic development, and environmental justice. While the Northeast Hydrogen Hub was not selected, we look forward to learning from those Hubs selected by the Department of Energy to carry forward this important work. NYSERDA and the Northeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub partners will evaluate options and next steps to further support clean hydrogen development in the Northeast region.
See the previous April 2023 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub announcement.
See the previous February 2023 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub announcement.
See the previous August 2022 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub announcement.
See the previous March 2022 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub announcement.