US DOE requests feedback on hydrogen infrastructure

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) has issued a request for information to gather input “on priority areas that will advance deployment of hydrogen fueling stations and delivery infrastructure and input on barriers and activities to pursue in both the near and longer-term.” Barriers to the growth of hydrogen fuel in the US include fuel cost, station and equipment costs, station reliability and performance, national standards development, and outreach and training needs. Feedback will be solicited on all of these points from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders.

Potential activities would complement existing FCTO activities that address the barriers hydrogen fueling stations face today, including renewable hydrogen fuel cost; station and equipment cost; station reliability and performance; codes and standards development; manufacturing needs; and outreach and training needs.

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) has issued a request for information (RFI) ( DE-FOA-0001626 ) to obtain feedback from stakeholders regarding deployment of hydrogen fueling stations, delivery infrastructure, and barriers and activities to pursue in both the near and longer term.

The hydrogen and fuel cells market in the United States is in the early, critical commercial phases for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), hydrogen fueling stations and delivery infrastructure, and renewable production technologies.

With independent data from more than 6 million miles of driving FCEVs and more than 163,000 kg of hydrogen dispensed, FCTO is obtaining important information to help identify key areas for further research and development and has identified specific challenges facing hydrogen infrastructure and fueling station components.

FCTO wants to address some of the these challenges facing hydrogen infrastructure research, development, and deployment in the near and longer-term, as listed below. The following list does not include all of the barriers, but it does include many identified by both FCTO and stakeholders during an Annual Merit Review Session. Barriers to be addressed through this RFI include:

Station and equipment cost

Station footprint

Station reliability and performance

Station availability

Lack of a domestic supply chain for equipment parts, and

Lack of real-world business cases for FCEVs and hydrogen stations.

The purpose of the RFI is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on the research, development, and demonstration topics listed below, as well as any critical barriers and activities not addressed in this RFI: