SPECIAL REPORT | THE HYDROGEN OPPORTUNITY
Right: The Toyota Mirai uses a hydrogen fuel cell-powered drive train. Transport is potentially a key market for nuclear hydrogen
Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, adding “DOE is
proud to support cost-shared projects like this to deliver affordable clean hydrogen. The investments we’re starting to make now through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act will further expand the clean hydrogen market to create new economic and environmental benefits for nuclear energy.” Joe Dominguez, president and CEO of Constellation, said
in a statement, “Hydrogen will be an indispensable tool in solving the climate crisis, and Nine Mile Point is going to show the world that nuclear power is the most efficient and cost-effective way to make it from a carbon-free resource.” He further added, “In partnership with DOE and others, we see this technology creating a pathway to decarbonising industries that remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels, while creating clean-energy jobs and strengthening domestic energy security.” Hydrogen is a key technology in US DOE’s Inflation
Reduction Act, which includes measures to develop and mature clean hydrogen production. On 7 June 2021 hydrogen was announced as the first of the US DOE’s so-called ‘Energy Earthshots’, which focus efforts to accelerate the shift to clean energy by tackling specific barriers. The Hydrogen Shot catalyses innovation “in any hydrogen pathway with potential for meeting the targets—such as renewables, nuclear, and thermal conversion—providing incentives to diverse regions across the country”. Its key aim is to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80 per cent within a decade to $1/kg – down from around about $5/kg for hydrogen produced now using electrolysis with renewable energy. The US DOE says, “Achieving the Hydrogen Shot’s 80% cost reduction goal can unlock new markets for hydrogen, including steel manufacturing, clean ammonia, energy storage, and heavy-duty trucks” and potentially increasing the market for low-carbon hydrogen 500%. Following the Hydrogen Shot announcement, a Hydrogen
Road Map for the USA was consulted on and finalised in December last year. It describes hydrogen as “enabling renewables through
long-duration energy storage and offering flexibility and multiple revenue streams to clean power generation such as today’s nuclear fleet, as well as advanced nuclear and other innovative technologies”.
16 | June 2023 |
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The Road Map notes that high-temperature electrolysis
requires integration and optimisation with thermal sources such as nuclear plants to increase the efficiency of hydrogen production. It says the USA currently has approximately 1,600 miles
(2,575 km) of dedicated hydrogen pipeline and three geological caverns, including the world’s largest, which can store the equivalent of 350 GWh of thermal energy. It notes the importance of siting hydrogen production and storage close to customers, whether for hydrogen or its derivatives such as ammonia, and it sets out a series of objectives. The Road Map’s targets include:
● 2022-2023: 1.25 MW of electrolysers integrated with nuclear for hydrogen production (met by the Nine Mile Point project)
● 2024-2028: at least 10 hydrogen demonstration projects, including those with nuclear, and 20 MW of nuclear heat extraction, distribution and control for electrolysis
● 2029-2036: 10Mt per year of clean hydrogen produced in the USA
Nuclear’s potentially important role also is clear in a discussion of challenges that may emerge during industrial scaling. In particular over the period 2027–2034. At that time the US DOE expects there to be competition for clean electricity. Not only is there anticipated demand for powering electrolysis for hydrogen production but and other areas of demand are also expected to emerge. This includes direct air capture which is likely to develop in parallel with electrification of buildings and transport. DOE says that “By 2030, up to 200 GW of additional renewables would be needed to power clean hydrogen via water electrolysis,” but nuclear could reduce this. The Biden-Harris Administration has made funding
of US$750mn available through the US DOE for research, development and demonstration efforts to dramatically reduce the cost of clean hydrogen. DOE plans to distribute the funding via a series of project funding calls for projects lasting two to five years. The first funding phase is open for applications until mid July. It all adds up to a compelling case for low-carbon
hydrogen and a role for nuclear, if the industry can take on the challenge. ■
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