Hydrogen

Background:

New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) enacts the most aggressive climate targets in the United States: 40 percent greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions below 1990 levels by 2030, a carbon free electricity system by 2040, and an 85 percent reduction in GHG below 1990 levels by 2050. Under the Climate Act, the State must also support a just transition and ensure that at least 35 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments go to disadvantaged communities with a goal of 40 percent.

As New York transitions to a clean energy economy, we are seeking to understand and explore all resources that may be available as part of the State’s comprehensive decarbonization strategy, including assessing the role of green hydrogen. Supporting innovation and studying all technologies will enable us to remain on the cutting edge of evolving solutions that will complement our existing decarbonization efforts in achieving the State’s ambitious Climate Act goals.

Core principles for examining the role that hydrogen may play in decarbonizing segments of New York’s economy include:

Compliance of hydrogen solutions with the Climate Act
No pre-conceived solutions
Incorporation of the needs of frontline communities
Policy options grounded in reality with an understanding of the current state of technology readiness, and acknowledge where additional innovation must occur in order for a solution to be viable; and
Meaningful stakeholder engagement with opportunities for input throughout this discovery.

This web page will serve as a landing point identifying analyses underway, linking to results, and providing opportunities for stakeholders to stay engaged.

Stay Connected

Please join our email list to stay connected. Any questions or requests for additional information may be sent to [email protected]

Current Activities

Clean Hydrogen R&D Investment

PON 5322 – Clean Hydrogen Innovation Co-Funding for Federal Funding Opportunities

On May 24, 2023, Governor Hochul announced a $10 million clean hydrogen funding opportunity administered by NYSERDA. NYSERDA is helping to stimulate and grow clean hydrogen solutions by making up to $10 million in co-funding available for New York-based clean hydrogen research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects for which federal funding is also being sought and actively applied for. This funding will support innovation in four key innovation challenge areas:

Hydrogen applications to decarbonize industrial process heat
Clean hydrogen production and integration with renewable energy
Mitigation of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from hydrogen combustion
Hydrogen storage technologies

See more details and apply on the PON 5322 funding opportunity page by 3:00 p.m. ET on June 28, 2023.

Clean Hydrogen Investment Plan

As part of the Clean Energy Fund (CEF), a $27 million hydrogen innovation budget was approved in January 2023 in the latest NYSERDA Compiled Investment Plan (see pages 330-357 for Hydrogen Innovation focus areas) to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors, to support the transition away from natural gas, and to provide resilience solutions.

Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub

On April 7, 2023 , the States of New York, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced the submission of the group’s $3.25 billion proposal for a Northeast Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (NE Hub) to the U.S. Department of Energy to compete for a $1.25 billion share of the $8 billion in federal hydrogen hub funding available as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The proposal submitted includes over one dozen projects across seven Northeast states that advance clean electrolytic hydrogen production, consumption, and infrastructure projects, for hard to decarbonize sectors, including transportation and heavy industry, among others.

This latest announcement advances each State’s leadership in clean hydrogen infrastructure deployment and affirms their respective climate commitments. Specifically for New York, this work supports the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050.

See more details of the announcement.

See the previous February 2023 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub announcement.

See the previous August 2022 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub announcement.

See the previous March 2022 Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub announcement.

Hydrogen Strategy Study with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

In conjunction with NREL, NYSERDA is undertaking a hydrogen strategy study to better understand potential opportunities for hydrogen in New York State’s decarbonization strategy, with a focus on:

Compiling and analyzing foundational and baseline information and data
Identifying priority applications for hydrogen, including hard-to-electrify sectors
Evaluating opportunities for hydrogen production, storage, transport, end-use, cost projections, and other key considerations.

Policy and Economic Development Studies

NYSERDA is in the process of commissioning a market analysis study to examine the potential hydrogen economic development opportunities that could accrue in New York State, and any potential policy options that would provide the medium and long-term certainty necessary to foster Hydrogen development in New York.

Stakeholder Engagement & Events

Since fall 2020, NYSERDA has convened a series of meetings, listening sessions, and direct discussions with individuals and groups across the stakeholder landscape to better understand diverse perspectives on hydrogen in New York and the Northeast region.

As a continuation of this robust engagement, NYSERDA has commenced a series of events – entitled “Hydrogen in NYS: State of the Science” – to provide a forum where interested participants can engage and learn from balanced discussions on a variety of critical hydrogen topics.

Please stay tuned for additional information regarding upcoming events in this series!

Recordings and materials from previous events are available under the ‘Resources and Recordings’ tab.

Learning from Federal and Global Partners

NYSERDA will continue to learn from the significant hydrogen activities and efforts underway by federal and global partners and jurisdictions, including:

U.S. Department of Energy
Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities: NYSERDA has expanded its Memorandum of Understanding with the Danish Ministry to include green hydrogen, furthering our collaboration on innovative technologies and strategies for decarbonization.
Additional: NYSERDA will continue engaging and learning from global leaders who have identified hydrogen as a key strategy for achieving climate and decarbonization targets, including the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and others.

Long-Duration Energy Storage

NYSERDA is supporting innovation in long-duration energy storage technologies – which may include hydrogen solutions – in order to encourage grid flexibility, system reliability, and renewable optimization.

Center for Hydrogen Safety

NYSERDA joined the Center for Hydrogen Safety (Center) to ensure that New Yorkers will benefit from the latest in hydrogen safety and best practices. The Center is a community of over 75 government, industry, and research participants, working to ensure safety across the industry through research, technical conferences, and convening of an expert Hydrogen Safety Panel for project safety reviews.

HyBlend Collaborative Research Partnership

The HyBlend Collaborative Research Partnership (Partnership) is a coalition of National Laboratories, universities, and industry researchers working to understand the safety and feasibility of integrating hydrogen into existing gas infrastructure. Findings from the Partnership will allow NYSERDA and partner agencies to better assess the future of existing infrastructure in New York’s decarbonization strategy.

Resources & Recordings

‘Hydrogen in NYS: State of the Science’ Programming

In May 2022, NYSERDA commenced a series of events intended to provide a forum where interested participants can engage and learn from balanced discussions on the varying priorities, questions, and concerns related to hydrogen opportunities in New York and the Northeast region.

Descriptions, recordings, and materials for events in this series are made available below: Kickoff Webinar
May 31, 2022
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

NYSERDA convened this half-day educational webinar as a springboard for its ongoing ‘Hydrogen in NYS: State of the Science” programming series. This foundational event aimed to provide stakeholders with a level-setting opportunity to discuss many of the key topics and considerations shaping the discourse around hydrogen in New York.

Sessions and topics covered included:

Introduction to Hydrogen (H₂)
H2 in NYS: Supporting Analyses and Activities
Climate & Environmental Justice Considerations
H2 Primer Sessions: Production Pathways, Electrolyzers & Fuel Cells, Storage & Delivery, and Safety Considerations

Materials for this event: Full Recording

Presentation Slides [PDF]