Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Plan i This report is being disseminated by the Department of Energy. As such, the document was prepared in compliance with Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106-554) and information quality guidelines issued by the Department of Energy. Though this report does not constitute “influential” information, as that term is defined in DOE’s information quality guidelines or the Office of Management and Budget's Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review (Bulletin), the study was reviewed internally prior to publication. NOTICE Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Plan ii To Our Stakeholders The U.S. economy is becoming more agile and innovative in response to continuing economic and environmental challenges and to the regional demands for clean electricity, fuels, and other products. At the same time, the past decade has demonstrated the need for an all-of-the-above strategy to support the U.S. economy and energy security, and to protect the environment. Hydrogen is a versatile fuel that offers a path to sustainable long-term economic growth. It can add value to multiple sectors in the economy and support America’s ongoing manufacturing renaissance. It can serve as a sustainable fuel for transportation and as input to produce electricity and heat for homes. And, carbon-free hydrogen could even be exported to markets that are looking for carbon-free energy. But realizing the true potential for hydrogen requires a commitment to continued research and development as well as ramping up demonstrations and deployments with the private sector to achieve scale. Unlike other fuels, hydrogen requires more integration of the fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy systems, and it will take an integrated approach from all energy sectors to realize the full potential and benefits of hydrogen. To meet this challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a Hydrogen Program Plan. This Plan provides a strategic framework that incorporates the research, development, and demonstration efforts of the Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, Nuclear Energy, Electricity, Science, and ARPA-E to advance the production, transport, storage, and use of hydrogen across different sectors of the economy. This comprehensive document represents DOE’s commitment to develop the technologies that can enable a hydrogen transition in the United States. It also underscores the importance of collaboration both within DOE and with our stakeholders in industry, academia, and the states to achieve that goal. We hope you will find the Hydrogen Program Plan valuable and constructive, and we look forward to working with you to unlock and expand the remarkable potential and benefits of hydrogen. Mark W. Menezes Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel R Simmons Steven Winberg Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency Assistant Secretary, Fossil Energy and Renewable Energy Rita Baranwal Patricia Hoffman Assistant Secretary, Nuclear Energy Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Chris Fall S. Lane Genatowski Director, Office of Science Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy Department of Energy Hydrogen Program Plan iii TABLE OF CONTENTS To Our Stakeholders ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Preface – About this Document ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Hydrogen Overview—Benefits and Uses ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 Progress and Needs ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 2 DOE Hydrogen Program ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Program Mission ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Hydrogen at Scale—A Guiding Framework .................................................................................................................................................... 8 Program Strategy .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 3 Technology Focus Areas & RD&D Thrusts ....................................................................................................................... 15 Hydrogen Production .................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Fossil Resources ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Biomass and Waste-Stream Resources ................................................................................................................................................... 16 Water-Splitting Technologies ................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Hydrogen Delivery ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 Tube Trailers ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Pipelines ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Liquid Hydrogen ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 19 Chemical Hydrogen Carriers .................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Hydrogen Dispensing and Fueling ............................................................................................................................................................ 20 Hydrogen Storage ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Physical-based Storage ............................................................................................................................................................................ 21 Material-based Storage ............................................................................................................................................................................ 22 Conversion .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Combustion .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Fuel Cells .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 Applications .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Transportation .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Chemical and Industrial Processes .........................................................................................................................................................