DoE Sec’y Abraham Announces $75 Million in Hydrogen R&D Funding

WASHINGTON, DC - Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham last month announced the U.S. Energy Department has selected 36 lead organizations and their partners to receive more than $75 million in research projects to support the President’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.

“The research projects address major technical and economic hurdles in renewable and distributed hydrogen production technologies that must be overcome to make a Hydrogen Economy vision a reality,” Abraham said in his Oct. 19 announcement.

Overall, more than 80 organizations are involved, and private cost share expenditures bring the total to almost $100 million.

“Hydrogen from diverse domestic resources has the long-term potential to deliver greater energy independence by reducing America’s reliance on foreign sources of energy,” Secretary Abraham added. “The projects we are announcing today highlight the emphasis that the department has placed on renewable and distributed production of hydrogen. They will move the nation toward advanced technologies to make and deliver safe, affordable hydrogen for fuel cell powered vehicles.”

The proposals selected address major recommendations from the recent National Research Council (NRC) Report, “The Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities, Costs, Barriers and R&D Needs,” including the NRC’s call for shifting more hydrogen production work towards more exploratory research on long-term sustainable, carbon-free pathways (H&FCL Feb. 04). The projects include several renewable hydrogen production technologies powered by the sun.

Projects were chosen through a merit-review, competitive solicitation process. The companies, their team members and total DoE funding (the final amount is subject to negotiation):

• Solar Electrochemical Water Splitting (Photoelectrochemical):
  • GE Global Research (Niskayuna, N.Y.); Caltech; $3,000,042
  • University of California-Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, Calif.); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), GE Global Research; $894,000
  • MVSystems Inc. (Golden, Colo.); University of Hawaii, Intematix Corporation, Southwest Research Institute, Duquesne University, NREL, University of California-Santa Barbara; $3,271,630
  • Midwest Optoelectronics (Toledo, Ohio); University of Toledo, NREL, United Solar Ovonic Corporation; $2,921,501
• Solar Thermochemical Water Splitting:
  • University of Colorado (Boulder, Colo.); ETH-Swiss Federal Institute of Technology; $1,200,000
  • Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. (Phoenix, Ariz.); University of Alabama in Huntsville, Weizmann Institute of Technology, Concentrating Technologies, LLC, University of Massachusetts-Boston; $803,438
  • Science Applications International Corporation (San Diego, Calif); Florida Solar Energy Center, Universidad del Turabo, University of Central Florida; $3,999,805
• Solar Biological (Microorganisms):
  • University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, Calif.); None; $1,200,000
  • Advanced BioNutrition Corporation (Columbia, Md.); Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, Clemson University, Savannah River Technology Center, SeaAg, Inc., University of Hawaii; $4,278,198
  • Montana State University (Bozeman, Mont.); Pleotint, LLC; $1,193,003
  • Institute Biological Energy Alternatives (Rockville, Md.); NREL; $2,880,000
• Small Scale Natural Gas/Bio-derived Liquid Reformers:
  • GE Global Research (Niskayuna, N.Y. and Irvine, Calif.); University of Minnesota, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); $2,225,079
  • H2Gen Innovations, Inc. (Alexandria, Va.); Sud-Chemie, Inc., Naval Research Lab, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL); $3,502,965
  • Ohio State University Research Foundation (Columbus, Ohio); None; $1,145,624
  • The BOC Group, Inc. (Murray Hill, N.J.); Membrane Reactor Technologies Ltd., HERA USA Inc.; $2,476,801
• Electrolyzers:
  • SRI International (Menlo Park, Calif.); Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence; $1,827,984
  • GE Global Research (Niskayuna, N.Y.); Northwestern University, Functional Coating Technology, LLC.; $2,853,285
  • Ceramatec, Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah); Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Hoeganaes Corporation, University of Washington; $1,915,535
  • Arizona State University (Tempe, Ariz.); None; $1,200,000
  • Teledyne Energy Systems (Hunt Valley, Md.); Sandia National Laboratory; $1,486,747
• Biomass and Hydrocarbon Gas Separation Technologies:
  • Gas Technology Institute (Des Plaines, Ill.); NETL, University of Cincinnati, Wah Chang, Schott North America; $2,690,474
  • Virent Energy Systems, LLC (Madison, Wisc.); University of Wisconsin-Madison, Archer Daniels Midland Company, UOP LLC; $1,942,739
  • University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio); The Ohio State University, New Mexico Institute of Technology; $1,999,727
  • United Technologies Research Center (East Hartford, Conn.); University of North Dakota; $1,046,690
  • Media & Process Technology, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa.); Johnson Matthey Catalyst, ChevronTexaco, University of Southern California; $2,592,349
  • REB Research & Consulting (Ferndale, Mich.); Los Alamos National Laboratory, Iowa State University, NETL, Johnson Matthey, Inc. (Westchester, Pa.); $2,360,531
  • Pall Corporation (East Hills, N.Y. and Cortland, N.Y.); ChevronTexaco, Colorado School of Mines, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); $2,385,400
• Delivery Technologies:
  • University of Illinois (Urbana, Ill.); ORNL, University of Missouri-Rolla, Sandia National Laboratory; $300,000
  • Air Product & Chemicals, Inc. (Allentown, Pa.); United Technologies Research, Pennsylvania State University; $4,661,968
  • Nexant, Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.); Air Liquide, ChevronTexaco, NREL, Gas Technology Institute, Pinnacle West, TIAX LLC; $1,500,239
  • Secat, Inc. (Lexington, Ky.); ORNL, American Society of Mechanical Engineers International, University of Illinois, Applied Thin Films, Inc, Columbia Gas, Chemical Composite Coatings International, LLC, Advanced Technology Corporation, Oregon Steel Mills/Napa Pipe Company, Schott North America - Regional R&D; $1,650,000

    New Concepts Research Corporation (Dallas, Texas); Prometheus Energy Inc., H2 Storage Solutions, Inc., CCC Group Inc., Chemithon Constructors LLC, University of Victoria, Department of Mechanical Engineering; $2,300,000

  • Gas Equipment Engineering Corporation (Milford, Conn.); R&D Dynamics Corporation; $2,000,000
• Analysis:
  • RCF Economic and Financial Consulting (Chicago, Ill.); ANL, Air Products & Chemicals, Inc., Beyond Petroleum, World Resources Institute, University of Michigan, Ford Motor Company; $3,616,634
  • Energy & Environmental Analysis, Inc. (Arlington, Va.); Brookhaven National Laboratory, Power and Energy Analytic Resources, Inc.; $1,300,479
  • Directed Technologies, Inc. (Arlington, Va.); Sentech, Inc., H2Gen Innovations, ChevronTexaco, Teledyne Energy Systems, Inc., University of Virginia; $750,00. Contact: DoE Media Office, Tom Welch, 202/586-5806.