Funds go to 20 projects across 15 states for clean hydrogen infrastructure.

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded nearly $62 million to fund 20 projects across 15 states to accelerate research, development, and deployment of next-generation clean hydrogen technologies.

These selected projects aim to advance critical elements of hydrogen fueling infrastructure, hydrogen-powered container-handling equipment for use at ports, and to improve processes essential to the efficient and equitable deployment of hydrogen technologies.

Included among the winning projects are much-needed efforts to improve community engagement. The DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) will manage the selected projects, which span the following five topics:

• Standardized Hydrogen Refueling Station of the Future (four projects, $40 million). Selected projects will develop and demonstrate a low-cost, standardized, and replicable advanced "hydrogen fueling station of the future" to meet the needs of commercial-scale medium- and heavy-duty truck fueling.

• Components for Hydrogen Fueling of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (four projects, $8.5 million). Selected projects will develop advanced components to enable gaseous and liquid hydrogen fueling for medium- and heavy-duty hydrogen-powered vehicles.

• Enabling Permitting and Safety for Hydrogen Deployment (seven projects, $7 million). Selected projects will identify the primary challenges to siting, permitting, and installation across the hydrogen value chain and explore opportunities to address them.

• Equitable Hydrogen Technology Community Engagement (four projects, $4 million). Selected projects will improve the capacity of DOE and DOE-funded projects to conduct effective community engagement activities. This includes direct engagement with disadvantaged communities to help gain a better understanding of their concerns and provide them with important information about hydrogen and related technologies.

• Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Port Equipment (one project, $2.5 million). The selected project will design, develop, and demonstrate a hydrogen fuel cell "top loader" (for handling containers) and a mobile refueler at the Port of Oakland.

"Today's announcement builds on the historic clean hydrogen investments made possible by the Investing in America agenda and will help deliver new economic opportunities across the nation while also reinforcing America's global leadership in clean energy technologies for generations to come," U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement related to the Aug. 30 rollout of the funding.

U.S. Department of Energy

A map of selected hydrogen project locations and project leaders.

Project leads, locations and partnerships

Toward the goal of elevating America's clean energy status, DOE divvied the funds to companies, universities, national laboratories, and trade groups carrying out hydrogen projects across the nation.

• AI Assistant for Permitting and Safety Training for Hydrogen Deployment by GE Vernova Operations LLC out of Greenville, South Carolina, partnering with Clemson University; Roper Mountain Science Center ($1,000,000).

• Community Benefits Plans for Equitable Energy Transitions in the Rust Belt by Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, partnering with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision; University of Toledo ($1,000,000).

• Developing Permitting Guidelines for Hydrogen Refueling Stations in Georgia by Southern Company Gas in Atlanta, Georgia, partnering with Clean Cities Georgia; Electric Power Research Institute; Georgia Public Safety Training Center - Fire Academy; GTI Energy ($1,000,000).

• Empowering Hydrogen Futures: Advancing Permitting, Safety, and Deployment Strategies for Sustainable Hydrogen Infrastructure in New York State by Krueger Transport LLC in Avondale, Arizona, partnering with Air Liquide; Center for Hydrogen Safety; Central New York Regional Transportation Authority; Clean Communities of Central New York; Empire Clean Cities; Energetics; James Baldwin Outdoor Learning Center; Rap4Bronx (The Skyline Foundation); Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority ($1,000,000).

• Equitable Hydrogen for Follansbee, West Virginia, by IN-2-Market Inc. out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, partnering with Allegheny Science & Technology, Inc.; City of Follansbee, West Virginia; Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley ($900,000).

• Equitable Workforce Opportunities (EWO): Engaging Gulf Coast Communities in their Clean Energy Economy by University of Houston in Texas, partnering with Houston Advanced Research Center; Houston Community College; Lamar University; MSRW Management ($1,000,000).

• First Responder Hydrogen Training: Streamlining Permitting and Safety for Hydrogen Development by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in New York, partnering with Campbell Technical Solutions; International Association of Firefighters; Long Beach Fire Department; National Fire Association; New York City Fire Department; New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Port Authority of Long Beach; Port Authority of New York/New Jersey ($1,000,000).

• HYPER-Flow: A Multiphase Hydrogen Flow Loop with Coriolis Meter for MD/HD Component Validation by Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, partnering with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Rego Products; Rheonik USA ($3,000,000).

• HYPER-Fuel: Next-Generation Heavy-Duty Hydrogen Refueling Station by Plug Power Inc. Latham, New York, partnering with National Renewable Energy Laboratory; University of Maryland at College Park; Washington State University ($10,000,000).

• High‐Flow Liquid Hydrogen Fueling and Coupling Development for Medium‐ and Heavy‐Duty Vehicles by OPW Clean Energy Solutions in Elon, North Carolina and partnering with Daimler Truck North America LLC, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory ($2,800,000).

"By enabling the development of diverse, domestic clean energy pathways across multiple sectors of the economy, clean hydrogen will strengthen American energy independence," DOE penned in its announcement.