DOE Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Goals

FUNDING PROGRAM: DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office Advanced Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies to Drive National Goals.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: DE-FOA-0003439.

FUNDING AGENCIES: United States Department of Energy (DOE).

OPPORTUNITY:

Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies play a key role in enabling America’s leadership in clean energy technology, enhancing energy security and resilience, reducing emissions, and in creating economic value and equitable opportunities for all Americans. Aligned with national goals, the benefits of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies will be significant in hard to decarbonize sectors, and span across transportation, power, and industrial and chemical production applications. As stated in the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, 0F1 clean hydrogen has the potential to reduce economy- wide emissions 10% by 2050 and create 100,000 jobs by 2030.

Clean hydrogen has a particularly important role to play in addressing our hardest-to-decarbonize sectors, which include key economic engines that are essential to the modern American economy and quality of life, such as heavy-duty transportation, chemical and industrial processes like steelmaking, and the production of liquid fuels and fertilizers. By enabling diverse, domestic clean energy pathways across multiple sectors of the economy, clean hydrogen will also strengthen American energy independence and resilience while creating good jobs, economic growth, and export opportunities.

The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office’s (HFTO) mission is to enable affordable clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for a sustainable, resilient, and equitable net-zero emissions economy.

DESCRIPTION:

This funding opportunity targets RD&D topics critical to scaling hydrogen infrastructure and enabling increased adoption of clean hydrogen across sectors. Increased adoption of hydrogen technologies will help achieve economies of scale and drive down costs, directly supporting DOE’s Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs (H2Hubs) Program, 1F2 an $8 billion federal investment to create networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and local connective infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen. Activities funded under this opportunity align with the H2@Scale Initiative, 3 which aims to advance affordable hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization to enable decarbonization and revenue opportunities across sectors and supports DOE’s Hydrogen Shot goal, 3F4 which targets affordable clean hydrogen production at $1/kg within a decade.

HFTO supports a broad portfolio of RD&D projects for materials, components, and systems throughout the clean hydrogen value chain. This NOFO specifically seeks applications in the following four topics:

• Topic 1: Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Device Scale Up.
• Topic 2: High-Performance Materials for Hydrogen Service, Including Cryogenic and/or High-Pressure Conditions.
• Topic 3: Sustainable High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membranes and Ionomers for Heavy-Duty Transportation Applications.
• Topic 4: Domestic Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Motorcoach Bus Development and Demonstration.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: 

• Domestic Entities include:
  • Institutions of higher education
  • For-profit organizations
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • State and local governmental entities
  • Indian Tribes, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 25 U.S.C. § 53045
• Foreign Entities

COST SHARING:

The cost share must be at least 20% of the total project costs for research and development projects and 50% of the total project costs for demonstration projects.

FUNDING AVAILABLE & INDIVIDUAL AWARD AMOUNTS (ANTICIPATED):

• Topic 1: Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Device Scale Up
  • Approximate total available funding: up to $10,000,000 in FY 2025
  • Approximate number of awards: 3 to 4
  • Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $3,000,000
• Topic 2: High-Performance Materials for Hydrogen Service, Including Cryogenic and/or High-Pressure Conditions.
  • Approximate total available funding: up to $16,000,000 in FY 2025
  • Approximate number of awards: 6 to 11.
  • Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $3,000,000
• Topic 3: Sustainable High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membranes and Ionomers for Heavy-Duty Transportation Applications.
  • Approximate total available funding: up to $10,000,000 in FY 2025
  • Approximate number of awards: 3 to 5
  • Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $3,000,000
• Topic 4: Domestic Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Motorcoach Bus Development and Demonstration
  • Approximate total available funding: up to $10,000,000 in FY 2025
  • Approximate number of awards: 1-2
  • Approximate dollar amount of individual awards: up to $10,000,000.

CONCEPT PAPER SUBMISSION DUE: November 20, 2024

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 31, 2025