The Biden administration unveiled this morning the names and locations of seven hydrogen hubs that will receive a slice of $7 billion in funding as part of a big push to turn hydrogen into a viable alternative to fossil fuels. The projects are scattered across the country in strategic geographical locations, and their energy sources and objectives – beyond the broad mission of advancing clean hydrogen – vary in fascinating ways. Taken as a whole, the announcement paints a picture of a national experiment to see what works, and what doesn’t, in the advancement of this potentially powerful green fuel.
Here’s a quick rundown of the hubs, listed by region:
Mid-Atlantic — Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey
Energy sources: renewables and nuclear
Goals: test the feasibility of repurposing oil infrastructure for hydrogen production
Appalachia — West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania
Energy sources: natural gas (with carbon capture)
Goals: develop new infrastructure and experiment with carbon capture and storage
California
Energy sources: renewables and biomass
Goals: provide a “blueprint” for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like public transport, heavy duty trucking, and shipping ports
Gulf Coast — Texas
Energy sources: natural gas (with carbon capture) and renewables
Goals: reduce cost of hydrogen and make it scalable by tapping into the region’s abundance of natural gas and renewable energy
Heartland — Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
Energy sources: unclear
Goals: decarbonize fertilizer production, test hydrogen as an energy source for space heating, find ways of equity ownership with tribal groups and farmers
Midwest — Illinois, Indiana, Michigan
Energy sources: renewables, natural gas (with carbon capture), and nuclear
Goals: decarbonize big industrial sectors like steel, power generation, refining, heavy-duty transportation, and sustainable aviation fuel
Pacific Northwest — Washington, Oregon, Montana
Energy sources: renewables
Goals: make electrolyzers cheaper and more accessible
A version of this article first appeared in Heatmap AM, a daily briefing on the most interesting and important news in climate. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every morning:
