On March 11, the Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) submitted a response to the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program’s Request for Information, providing information on the regional clean hydrogen hubs implementation strategy.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow a sustainable, resilient, and equitable economy and that investing in the development of green hydrogen can help to further that effort. A wide range of renewable technologies, including green hydrogen, will be needed to address the various thermal needs of industrial energy users. Developing green hydrogen economically and reducing deployment costs will be critical to addressing climate change, while ensuring that the U.S. is a global leader in developing renewable thermal technologies and that U.S. companies secure any competitive advantages from being early adopters of renewable thermal technologies. A focused effort on green hydrogen development can help to overcome technical barriers, reduce costs for deployment, and achieve significant emissions reductions from the industrial and buildings sectors and economywide.
RTC Members have ambitious emissions reductions targets and urgently require renewable solutions for their thermal energy emissions. Green hydrogen is a promising solution but faces numerous barriers that need to be resolved as quickly as possible. Engaging potential industrial and commercial customers early on can help DOE to better understand hurdles to green hydrogen adoption and create plans to lower these hurdles. Ensuring that the hydrogen hubs’ work considers industrial and commercial customers’ needs, including the range of green hydrogen applications in industrial process heating, can help to support potential customers. DOE’s support of green hydrogen research and development can help to solve challenges thermal energy buyers currently face.
