rfi for h2at_scale determining research, development, and demonstration necessary for clean hydrogen...

H2@Scale (Hydrogen at Scale): Determining Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Necessary for Clean Hydrogen Production to Enable

Multisectoral Deep Decarbonization(DE-FOA-0001655)

DATE POSTED: September 9, 2016

SUBJECT: H2@Scale (Hydrogen at Scale): Determining Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Necessary for Clean Hydrogen Production to Enable Multisectoral Deep Decarbonization

RESPONSE DUE DATE: November 4, 2016 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time

Description

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks input on priority RD&D areas to enable deep decarbonization of industrial, transportation, and power generation sectors through wide-scale deployment of hydrogen. The potential of hydrogen to deeply decarbonize a multitude of sectors was identified by the DOE national laboratories in a proposal termed H2@Scale in 2016. 1 The preliminary analysis performed by the national laboratories on the H2@Scale concept indicated that nearly a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is possible by 2050. Research in several relevant areas is currently addressed by many different DOE Offices, including the Offices of Nuclear Energy (NE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Fossil Energy (FE), Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), and Science (OS), along with the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E). Given the broad scope of H2@Scale, and the need to engage many stakeholders to ensure the proposal’s success, the U.S. DOE is soliciting feedback on activities to advance the H2@Scale proposal in both the near and longer-term.

1 https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/review16/2016_amr_h2_at_scale.pdf __________________________________

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. The U.S. DOE will not pay for information provided under this RFI and no project will be supported as a result of this RFI. This RFI is not accepting applications for financial assistance or financial incentives. The U.S. DOE may or may not issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) based on consideration of the input received from this RFI.

1

https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/review16/2016_amr_h2_at_scale.pdf

Background

Hydrogen is an ideal energy carrier to enable aggressive market penetration of renewables and deep decarbonization across multiple sectors. Hydrogen at scale is unique in its ability to cleanly and cheaply couple with multiple intermittent power generation inputs, while also servicing the energy demands of the transportation and industrial sectors and enabling increased resiliency, US energy security and manufacturing competitiveness. Hydrogen is currently a feedstock for numerous applications: petroleum refining, fertilizer production, metals industry, biofuels production, and others (plastics, cosmetics, food industry). Today, 10 million metric tons of hydrogen are produced in the US/year (95% of which is via centralized reforming of natural gas2, usually without carbon capture and sequestration), creating the equivalent of 5% of today’s transportation sector carbon emissions. The transportation and industrial sectors each generate roughly 1/3 of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Steel production alone currently creates up to 7.6% of global GHG emissions. Switching to clean, low cost H2 across sectors is a paradigm shift, enabling use of renewables, taking advantage of increased natural gas supplies and technological advances in carbon capture and sequestration, and enabling truly zero emissions processes for diverse applications.

H2@Scale is an enabler and not a direct competitor to other options: It is the essential ingredient in converting CO2 to liquid fuels and upgrading biomass/crude oil; it can support higher penetrations of renewable generation resulting in greener battery charging for electric vehicles (EVs); it can provide clean power through H2 turbines/fuel cells either at scale or through distributed generation and combined heat and power (CHP); it can green numerous processes and the natural gas grid (e.g. H2 in gas pipelines as in Europe and town gas a century ago); it can provide ancillary services/frequency regulation, grid resiliency, and high capacity long-duration storage complementing current electricity storage systems (e.g., batteries); and it can serve as a fuel for transportation – all with zero carbon

2 http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-natural-gas-reforming __________________________________


Figure 1 Schematic of H2@Scale Energy System

2

http://energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-natural-gas-reforming

emissions when produced from renewable resources, nuclear resources, or from fossil fuels with carbon capture and sequestration. The key challenges are clean, low cost hydrogen production and efficient utilization/systems integration.

Figure 2 Hydrogen is an enabling of diverse feedstock and applications

The H2@Scale initiative will develop and enable the deployment of transformational technologies that produce and utilize green, low-cost hydrogen to achieve an economically competitive, deeply decarbonized future energy system across sectors. Outcomes include:

Increased penetration of intermittent renewable power generation Low cost green hydrogen for use in liquid fuels production, fuel cells, turbines, and other

applications A decarbonized industrial sector through utilization of low-emission hydrogen production

processes Enable expanded use of nuclear energy, through small modular and/or hybridized reactors A strong domestic industry and enhanced energy security through utilization of domestic energy

sources and development of new technologies

__________________________________


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Increased energy system resiliency and flexibility.

A key goal of the H2@Scale concept is to enable hydrogen production at $1/kg through advancements in electrolyzer technologies, use of low-cost electricity from the grid during off-peak times, and high-volume manufacturing of electrolyzers enabled by the use of hydrogen in a wide range of sectors (Figure3).

The U.S. DOE seeks to identify research efforts that can enable the integration of hydrogen production with the electricity grid, as well as with process heat to enable deep decarbonization of end-use industries. This RFI builds upon H2@Scale stakeholder engagement efforts already pursued during the 2016 Annual Merit Review3, 2016 Sustainable Transportation Summit4, and 2016 Intermountain Energy Summit5.

Purpose

3 http://www.annualmeritreview.energy.gov 4 http://energy.gov/eere/2016-sustainable-transportation-summit 5 http://intermountainenergysummit.com/ies-2016-highlights/ __________________________________


Decreased capital cost

Decreased electricity cost

Manufacturing volume

Figure 3: H2@Scale projected cost reductions in hydrogen production

4

http://intermountainenergysummit.com/ies-2016-highlights/

http://energy.gov/eere/2016-sustainable-transportation-summit

http://www.annualmeritreview.energy.gov/

The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback, project ideas, and other guidance on the topic areas described below and through responses to questions (as applicable). Note: stakeholders should feel free to respond only to those topics relevant to their expertise; it is not necessary to respond to all topics. Please ensure you read and follow the response guidelines at the end of this document.

I. Concept of H2@Scale II. Integration of Hydrogen Production with the Electricity Grid, and with Storage and Pipeline

Infrastructure III. Integration of Hydrogen Production with Process Heat, such as from Nuclear Generation,

Industrial Waste Heat Sources, or Concentrated Solar PowerIV. Leveraging Stranded Renewables, and Value-Added Applications for Hydrogen V. Hydrogen from Fossil FuelsVI. Other

I. Concept of H2@Scale

Given the broad range of industries that can benefit from the production or use of hydrogen gas, the U.S. DOE would like H2@Scale projects to be collaborative with utilities, end users, and/or other stakeholders. Previous workshops have indicated substantial stakeholder interest in the demonstration of viable, collaborative business cases for wide-scale hydrogen energy storage.6 The U.S. DOE now seeks information to guide the development of collaborative RD&D projects.

I.1 What are the main drivers for your interest in H2@Scale (e.g. storage, ancillary services, potential synergy with other end uses, power-to-gas, revenue, etc.)?

I.2 Are you already engaged in work aligned with the H2@Scale concept? If so, please describe.

I.3 Can you conceptualize a collaborative H2@Scale RD&D project that will help to address your needs? If so please describe what it would entail.

I.4 In what applications (e.g. micro-grids) would a demonstration of fuel cell and/or electrolyzer integration with the grid be of interest?

I.5 What would you like to see in a large-scale demonstration? What scale would be most appropriate? Is the scale of interest seasonal?

I.6 If you would like to see a large-scale demonstration, please specify what funding level would be appropriate. Please also include deliverables, metrics, and go/no go decision points.

I.7 What are the main challenges/issues/gaps that must be addressed before conducting a demonstration?

6 http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/62518.pdf __________________________________


5

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/62518.pdf

I.8 Do you see a value proposition for end uses of hydrogen in both the near-term and mid/long-term? If so, please describe. If not please articulate why not.

I.9 Can you describe the cost at which a given application of hydrogen (e.g. power-to-gas) becomes attractive?

I.10 Would you be willing to share data if DOE were to fund a demonstration project? If so, what specific data?

I.11 What data is most important to assess feasibility and applicability of the H2@Scale concept?

I.12 What do you see as the appropriate and optimum role for the multitude of stakeholders, and any others not listed here? Stakeholders include national laboratories, the various industries involved, universities, public utility commissions (PUCs), state/local government entities, etc.

I.13 In addition to a technology demonstration, are there options to demonstrate innovative regulatory and/or policy ideas that would advance the H2@Scale concept? Please describe.

II. Integration of Hydrogen Production with the Electricity Grid, and with Storage and Pipeline Infrastructure

As the electricity grid in the U.S. is modernized to increase penetration of renewables, replace aging infrastructure, mitigate threats of outages and cyber-security, and increase customer engagement, technologies that can enable grid resilience during fluctuations in supply and demand are of great interest.7 One approach to managing the variability of renewable generation is to store excess energy rather than curtailing it. As a result of expected increases in energy demand and the aforementioned grid challenges, the market for energy storage from utilities is expected to grow dramatically in the coming decade.8 About 96% of energy storage today takes place in the form of pumped hydropower, and the remaining 4% is mainly in the form of compressed air, batteries, and flywheels.7 While most growth in recent years has been in lithium ion batteries9, batteries are still challenged by costs and scalability.6 If given additional R&D and regulatory support, hydrogen energy storage may offer a viable solution.

At least seven10,11,12 geologic caverns are currently in use throughout the world for bulk storage of thousands of tonnes of hydrogen. Increased interest in hydrogen energy storage today is being driven

7 http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/09/f26/QTR2015-03-Grid.pdf 8 http://www.sandia.gov/ess/docs/other/Grid_Energy_Storage_Dec_2013.pdf 9 http://www.cleanegroup.org/wp-content/uploads/RPP-GTM-webinar-slides-8.3.2016.pdf 10 http://energystorage.org/energy-storage/technologies/hydrogen-energy-storage 11 http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/08/f25/fcto_myrdd_delivery.pdf 12 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319914021223 __________________________________


6

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319914021223

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/08/f25/fcto_myrdd_delivery.pdf

http://energystorage.org/energy-storage/technologies/hydrogen-energy-storage

http://www.cleanegroup.org/wp-content/uploads/RPP-GTM-webinar-slides-8.3.2016.pdf

http://www.sandia.gov/ess/docs/other/Grid_Energy_Storage_Dec_2013.pdf

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/09/f26/QTR2015-03-Grid.pdf

by its potential to enhance grid stability, as well as to enable low-cost hydrogen production. High-volume storage would facilitate the integration of load-following electrolyzers with the grid, which could increase or decrease power demand whenever supply/demand/ramping constraints exist. Electrolysis that takes place when the wholesale or retail time-of-use (TOU) schedule cost of electricity is low could enable low-cost hydrogen generation while also enhancing grid stability.

Efforts to store energy as hydrogen are increasing worldwide. The world’s first demonstration of at-scale electrolyzer integration with the grid occurred in Germany in 2013 with the Thüga Group’s Power-to-Gas (P2G) plant13. The Thüga P2G plant uses a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer to balance load on the grid by generating hydrogen. The hydrogen gas is injected into a natural gas pipeline network at a concentration of about 2%.14 The injection of low concentrations of hydrogen (<5-15% H2 by volume) in natural gas pipelines is currently thought to be feasible with existing infrastructure in the U.S. without substantial risk of damaging end-use applications.15 In the long term, pipelines are expected to be another option for hydrogen energy storage, akin to line-packing in the natural gas industry.

Given interest in grid stability with increased penetration of renewables, and in hydrogen energy storage, DOE is interested in collecting stakeholder feedback on the following questions:

II.1. What scales of energy storage are of interest in the coming years, and where? How much of a need is there for seasonal energy storage? Do you foresee this becoming a valuable asset in the future?

II.2. What electrolyzer response time is needed to enable grid integration of renewables?II.3. What advances in power electronics (e.g. rectifiers or inverters) are necessary to enable

reliable integration of fuel cells and electrolyzers with the grid? II.4. Do you have an interest in P2G (hydrogen injection in natural gas pipelines)? If so, what

aspects of P2G would you be interested in better understanding? What would drive your interest in P2G over delivery of pure hydrogen, or pure natural gas?

II.5. What additional basic and/or applied R&D is needed to address Topic II?

Regarding the potential regulatory challenges for implementing H2@Scale:

II.6. What challenges do you foresee in leveraging low-cost electricity from the grid for hydrogen production? Specifically:

13 https://fuelcellsworks.com/archives/2015/08/24/thuga-power-to-hydrogen-gas-plant-enters-the-balancing-market-in-germany/ 14 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1464285914700215 15 http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/51995.pdf __________________________________


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http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/51995.pdf


https://fuelcellsworks.com/archives/2015/08/24/thuga-power-to-hydrogen-gas-plant-enters-the-balancing-market-in-germany/

https://fuelcellsworks.com/archives/2015/08/24/thuga-power-to-hydrogen-gas-plant-enters-the-balancing-market-in-germany/

a. What regulatory barriers exist for utilities or independent power producers that operate solar or wind facilities to deploy electrolyzers?

b. What barriers exist to utilities interested in directly selling hydrogen generated from electrolyzers to end users (e.g. utility-run hydrogen fueling stations)?

c. Do you foresee the introduction of increasingly aggressive TOU rates that would be attractive for those producing hydrogen from electricity purchased at retail rates?

II.7. What types of policies/incentives are and/or would be most effective in fostering growth in the deployment of H2@Scale?

Regarding the storage of hydrogen:

II.8. What gas storage technologies are most appropriate for H2@Scale? In addition to geologic storage and pipeline storage, are there other means of hydrogen storage that should be considered?

II.9. What challenges currently face caverns and line-packing as a form of energy storage (e.g. leakage, surface monitoring, wellbore integrity, etc.)?

III. Integration of High-Temperature Hydrogen Production with Process Heat, such as from Nuclear Generation, Industrial Waste Heat Sources, or Concentrated Solar Power

One approach to lowering the overall energy requirement for a hydrogen production system is to use high-temperature process heat to perform steam electrolysis or thermochemical water splitting at high temperatures. Higher temperature operations improve the overall efficiency of a hydrogen production system. In steam electrolysis, heating the electrolyzer feedstock water reduces the specific electricity consumption required for water splitting. Integration of high-temperature electrolysis with nuclear power generation from high temperature reactors (HTRs) is currently of interest worldwide16 due to the high value process heat from HTRs, which is about 750-800°C.17 High volume hydrogen production via solid oxide electrolysis leveraging high-temperature process heat is currently projected to cost about $4-5/kg; two-thirds of the cost is due to the electricity feedstock.18,19 Thermochemical and hybrid thermochemical-electrolysis systems are also being investigated that can take advantage of high-temperature process heat from HTRs or concentrated solar power. The first demonstration of hydrogen production from nuclear process heat is anticipated to occur in Japan in the 2020 timeframe in 16 http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1577_web.pdf 17 http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/03/f30/QTR2015-4J-High-Temperature-Reactors.pdf18 https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/16014_h2_production_cost_solid_oxide_electrolysis.pdf19 https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/14004_h2_production_cost_pem_electrolysis.pdf__________________________________


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https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/14004_h2_production_cost_pem_electrolysis.pdf

https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/16014_h2_production_cost_solid_oxide_electrolysis.pdf

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/03/f30/QTR2015-4J-High-Temperature-Reactors.pdf

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1577_web.pdf

conjunction with the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR) project.20 However, many RD&D challenges remain with both the deployment of HTRs and their integration with hydrogen production at large scales. For example, the behavior of steels at the temperatures and pressures faced by the reactor and integration components, such as valves, must be better understood. Heat exchanger designs that can withstand the temperatures from HTRs must also be developed.

DOE would like feedback on aspects of high-temperature nuclear power generation that would benefit from greater RD&D:

III.1. What are the key RD&D areas that need to be addressed for the integration of nuclear process heat with high-temperature hydrogen production?

III.2. What are priority focus areas for materials development to enable durable operation of valves and heat exchangers at >750-800°C?

III.3. What heat exchanger technologies have the most potential for durable operation with high-temperature air and steam from HTRs? What are the manufacturing challenges associated with these heat exchangers?

Additional RD&D challenges must be addressed in the durability and scale-up of high-temperature hydrogen production. Steam electrolyzer degradation rates are reported to be about 1-4% per 1,000 hours, with some causes of degradation being due to the migration of chromium from bipolar plates, corrosion of metallic components, catalyst degradation, and electrode delamination.21,22 The causes of some of these failure modes and prevention techniques are not yet well-understood, though there is some indication that the degradation rate increases at higher current density operation.23 While the theoretical thermodynamics and kinetics of numerous thermochemical hydrogen production cycles are fairly well understood, issues related to operating equipment scale-up and component durability have proven to be barriers to larger scale demonstrations. DOE would like feedback on aspects of high-temperature hydrogen production that would benefit from greater RD&D:

III.4. What degradation modes of high-temperature electrolysis materials and catalysts are currently known?

III.5. What are observed degradation behaviors in high-temperature electrolysis that are not yet well-understood? What cell/stack operating conditions exacerbate degradation? Is this an area that needs further study?

20 https://www.iaea.org/NuclearPower/Downloadable/Meetings/2015/2015-02-25-02-27-NPTDS/Day1/05-JAEA_N.Sakaba.pdf 21http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/08/f18/ fcto_2014_electrolytic_hydrogen_production_workshop_summary_report.pdf 22 http://web.mit.edu/yildizgroup/LEI/assets/pdfs/bilge_ijhe_2008.pdf 23 https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/review16/pd124_petri_2016_o.pdf__________________________________


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https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/review16/pd124_petri_2016_o.pdf

http://web.mit.edu/yildizgroup/LEI/assets/pdfs/bilge_ijhe_2008.pdf

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/08/f18/fcto_2014_electrolytic_hydrogen_production_workshop_summary_report.pdf

http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/08/f18/fcto_2014_electrolytic_hydrogen_production_workshop_summary_report.pdf

https://www.iaea.org/NuclearPower/Downloadable/Meetings/2015/2015-02-25-02-27-NPTDS/Day1/05-JAEA_N.Sakaba.pdf

https://www.iaea.org/NuclearPower/Downloadable/Meetings/2015/2015-02-25-02-27-NPTDS/Day1/05-JAEA_N.Sakaba.pdf

III.6. Would the use or development of specialized manufacturing technologies, such as additive manufacturing, be beneficial in addressing durability or scale-up challenges of high temperature hydrogen production components (e.g., over-sintering of electrodes, ceramic component fabrication, etc.)? If so, what are some examples of manufacturing challenges that must be addressed?

III.7. What material properties of components (electrodes, cell plates, electrolyzer membranes, catalysts, acid decomposers, etc.) should be optimized to improve the durability of high-temperature electrolysis?

III.8. What additional basic and/or applied R&D is needed to address Topic III?

IV. Leveraging Stranded Renewables, and Value-Added Applications for Hydrogen

Fully achieving the environmental benefits of hydrogen will require its production to be driven by water splitting from clean sources of power24, or fossil feedstock (such as natural gas) with carbon capture and sequestration. The two largest uses of hydrogen in the world today are petroleum refining and ammonia production25, both of which are likely to see substantial growth in the coming decades. These industries can be significantly decarbonized if they leverage hydrogen produced from water electrolysis, or steam methane reforming in conjunction with carbon capture and sequestration. In 2013, the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center demonstrated this potential by integrating an electrolyzer with a wind plant in Minnesota to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen was then leveraged in the production of anhydrous ammonia to supply the region’s agricultural demand.26,27 Widespread use of electrolysis is currently inhibited by the technology’s capital cost. In areas of the country with stranded, intermittent sources of wind and solar power, however, the low cost of electricity can improve the business case for electrolyzers.28 Conversely, base load sources of power, such as geothermal, can serve as a cost-effective approach to hydrogen production in niche markets where geothermal reserves have already been developed and have unused capacity;29 development of new geothermal power plants is currently inhibited by upfront capital costs and risk.30,31

24 https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/13005_well_to_wheels_ghg_oil_ldvs.pdf 25 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319997001122 26 http://renewables.morris.umn.edu/wind/ammonia/ 27 https://issuu.com/morrissuntribune/docs/wcrocissuu/5?e=0/4062984

28 http://unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/US-Deep-Decarbonization-Report.pdf 29 https://energy.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Analysis_of_Geothermally_Produced_Hydrogen_BigIsland.pdf 30 https://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/pdfs/geothermal_risk_mitigation.pdf __________________________________


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https://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/pdfs/geothermal_risk_mitigation.pdf

https://energy.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Analysis_of_Geothermally_Produced_Hydrogen_BigIsland.pdf

https://energy.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Analysis_of_Geothermally_Produced_Hydrogen_BigIsland.pdf

http://unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/US-Deep-Decarbonization-Report.pdf

https://issuu.com/morrissuntribune/docs/wcrocissuu/5?e=0/4062984

http://renewables.morris.umn.edu/wind/ammonia/


https://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/13005_well_to_wheels_ghg_oil_ldvs.pdf

The business case for hydrogen production can also be substantially improved through the development of value-add applications, such as the use of hydrogen as a reductant in industrial processes. Iron and steel making currently generates more CO2 emissions than any industrial process in the world32, in part because the reductants used are typically derived from coal or natural gas, without use of carbon capture and sequestration.33 Two alternatives are currently being researched to replace the use of carbon-based reductants in steelmaking: the use of electricity, and the use of hydrogen.34 The use of hydrogen as a reductant is still a nascent concept, however, and requires R&D.

The DOE would like feedback on RD&D that would enable hydrogen to better leverage renewable generation, and decarbonize industrial sectors:

IV.1. In what industrial applications would use of hydrogen as a reductant be of interest, and why? What additional R&D would be required?

IV.2. At what cost would use of hydrogen as a reductant be competitive with the alternative?IV.3. What are the technological barriers to use of hydrogen in steelmaking? What RD&D would

help address these barriers?IV.4. In what manufacturing applications would use of hydrogen as a heat source be of interest?IV.5. Are there innovations in chemical processes (e.g. conversion processes, membranes) that

can be leveraged to create value-add applications for hydrogen?IV.6. Would you have an interest in a collaborative project demonstrating the ability of hydrogen

production to de-risk investments in the development or operation of renewable resources? If so, could you please describe your interest?

IV.7. What bridge markets do you foresee (e.g. deploying fleets of fuel cell vehicles) that could create a market for hydrogen produced from curtailed renewables?

V. Hydrogen from Fossil FuelsHydrogen can also be produced from fossil resources, including natural gas, coal, petroleum coke etc. The Office of Fossil Energy supports activities to advance coal-to-hydrogen technologies, specifically

31 http://energyexcelerator.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Geothermal-Assessment-Roadmap-PICHTR-Jan-2013-for-release.pdf 32 http://www.iea-coal.org.uk/documents/82861/8363/CO2-abatement-in-the-iron-and-steel-industry,-CCC/193 33http://www.lindecanada.com/internet.lg.lg.can/en/images/Short%20term%20opportunities%20for %20decreasing%20CO2,%20SCANMET%202004135_10845.pdf?v=1.0

34 https://www.steel.org/~/media/Files/AISI/Making%20Steel/TechReportResearchProgramFINAL.pdf__________________________________


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https://www.steel.org/~/media/Files/AISI/Making%20Steel/TechReportResearchProgramFINAL.pdf

http://www.lindecanada.com/internet.lg.lg.can/en/images/Short%20term%20opportunities%20for%20decreasing%20CO2,%20SCANMET%202004135_10845.pdf?v=1.0

http://www.lindecanada.com/internet.lg.lg.can/en/images/Short%20term%20opportunities%20for%20decreasing%20CO2,%20SCANMET%202004135_10845.pdf?v=1.0

http://www.iea-coal.org.uk/documents/82861/8363/CO2-abatement-in-the-iron-and-steel-industry,-CCC/193

http://energyexcelerator.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Geothermal-Assessment-Roadmap-PICHTR-Jan-2013-for-release.pdf

http://energyexcelerator.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Geothermal-Assessment-Roadmap-PICHTR-Jan-2013-for-release.pdf

through the process of coal gasification with carbon capture, utilization, and storage35,36,37. DOE anticipates that coal gasification for hydrogen production with carbon capture, utilization, and storage could be deployed in the mid-term. The integration of these technologies facilitates a low-cost hydrogen production pathway. Pollution control equipment used in conjunction with coal gasification can capture criteria pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and particulates, as well as greenhouse gases.

DOE would like feedback on aspects of hydrogen production from fossil resources that would benefit from greater RD&D:

V.1. What is the potential of process intensification techniques (integrating several processes into one step), such as synthesis gas clean-up, water-gas shift, and hydrogen separation?

V.2. What developments are necessary in getting to more active and impurity-tolerant shift catalysts and technologies that can integrate water-gas shift and hydrogen separation into a single step?

V.3. What new developments in membrane technologies can help address separation of H2 in a water gas shift reaction?

V.4. What other R&D areas can further reduce hydrogen production costs from fossil fuel (such as natural gas or coal)?

VI. Other:

Please provide any other input you may consider valuable and in alignment with the intent of this RFI. If respondents to this RFI have comments related to any specific office within DOE, relevant to the H2@Scale concept (e.g. EERE, GTO, Wind and Water Power Technologies Office (WWPTO), Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO), NE, OE, FE, ARPA-E, Science, etc.), or suggestions as to how the relevant offices can coordinate activities both within DOE and with other agencies, please submit.

Some additional input you could provide:

VI.1. Are you working with hydrogen now or are you considering working with hydrogen? Why or why not?

VI.2. What is an appropriate capital cost target for electrolyzers, fuel cells, and other relevant technologies that H2@Scale would leverage?

35 http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/clean-coal-research/hydrogen-coal 36 http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/separ_04_coal_schmetz.pdf 37 http://www.engr.psu.edu/h2e/professors/dr._schobert,_harold/hydrogen%20from%20coal.pdf __________________________________


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http://www.engr.psu.edu/h2e/professors/dr._schobert,_harold/hydrogen%20from%20coal.pdf

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/separ_04_coal_schmetz.pdf

http://energy.gov/fe/science-innovation/clean-coal-research/hydrogen-coal

VI.3. What potential do you see in use of natural gas as a feedstock for hydrogen production when coupled with carbon capture and sequestration? What are the cost and efficiency challenges?

VI.4. Do you see a market for oxygen generated by electrolyzers, for instance for operating oxyfuel fossil-fuel power plants to enable carbon capture and sequestration projects? Are there other end-users of oxygen that could bring value to H2@Scale?

VI.5. What specific studies and/or analysis would be valuable to the stakeholder community and specifically to your industry/organization to advance the H2@Scale concept?

VI.6. What specific organizations, including international, are actively involved in actually demonstrating the H2@Scale concept?

VI.7. In addition to DOE funding for the proposed RD&D activities, please list any other sources or potential sources of funding that may be leveraged for the proposed work related to H2@Scale (e.g. state funding, loans/financing, utilities, other policy/fee based sources of revenue, etc.).

VI.8. Are there any other points you would like to raise regarding H2@Scale? What are we missing?

Request for Information Response Guidelines

Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to [email protected] with the subject line "DE-FOA-0001655 - RFI" no later than 5:00pm (ET) on November 4, 2016. Responses must be provided as attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment to the email, and no more than 5 pages in length, 12 point font, 1 inch margins. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or category if applicable. Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish. The U.S. DOE will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed.

Respondents are requested to provide the following information at the start of their response to this RFI:

Company / institution name; Company / institution contact; Contact's address, phone number, and e-mail address.

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Please select the category below that best describes your company/organization. If possible, please list your roles/responsibilities within your organization.

Manufacturer of electrolyzer or electrolyzer parts Manufacturer of other hydrogen generation technology (please specify) Engineering/construction company with experience with nuclear, wind, solar photovoltaic,

and/or solar thermal power plants, or other power plant types. Gas and/or Electric Utility (please specify) Regional Transmission Organization, Independent System Operator, Public Utilities Commission

or other regulatory agency in the utilities/energy space (please specify) National laboratory Academia End-user of hydrogen (please specify) State or local government Trade Association Other (please specify)

Please feel free to provide any additional background about yourself or your organization.

On behalf of H2@Scale Team, thank you in advance for providing your input on this important topic and contributing to the U.S. DOE’s success in achieving its objectives.

Disclaimer and Important Notes

This RFI is not a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA); therefore, the U.S. DOE is not accepting applications at this time. The U.S. DOE may issue a FOA in the future based on or related to the content and responses to this RFI; however, the U.S. DOE may also elect not to issue a FOA. There is no guarantee that a FOA will be issued as a result of this RFI. Responding to this RFI does not provide any advantage or disadvantage to potential applicants if the U.S. DOE chooses to issue a FOA regarding the subject matter. Final details, including the anticipated award size, quantity, and timing of the U.S. DOE funded awards, will be subject to Congressional appropriations and direction.

Any information obtained as a result of this RFI is intended to be used by the Government on a non-attribution basis for planning and strategy development; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as information only. The U.S. DOE will review and consider all responses in its formulation of program strategies for the identified materials of interest that are the subject of this request. The U.S. DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that the U.S. DOE is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with

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respect to any information submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind the U.S. DOE to any further actions related to this topic.

Proprietary Information

Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to structure future programs and FOAs and/or otherwise be made available to the public, respondents are strongly advised to NOT include any information in their responses that might be considered business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential. If, however, a respondent chooses to submit business sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise confidential information, it must be clearly and conspicuously marked as such in the response.

Responses containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be conspicuously marked as described below. Failure to comply with these marking requirements may result in the disclosure of the unmarked information under the Freedom of Information Act or otherwise. The U.S. Federal Government is not liable for the disclosure or use of unmarked information, and may use or disclose such information for any purpose.

If your response contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information, you must include a cover sheet marked as follows identifying the specific pages containing confidential, proprietary, or privileged information:

Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data:

Pages [List Applicable Pages] of this response may contain confidential, proprietary, or privileged information that is exempt from public disclosure. Such information shall be used or disclosed only for the purposes described in this RFI [DE-FOA-0001655]. The Government may use or disclose any information that is not appropriately marked or otherwise restricted, regardless of source.

In addition, (1) the header and footer of every page that contains confidential, proprietary, or privileged information must be marked as follows: “Contains Confidential, Proprietary, or Privileged Information Exempt from Public Disclosure” and (2) every line and paragraph containing proprietary, privileged, or trade secret information must be clearly marked with double brackets or highlighting.

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Evaluation and Administration by Federal and Non-Federal Personnel

Federal employees are subject to the non-disclosure requirements of a criminal statute, the Trade Secrets Act, 18 USC 1905. The Government may seek the advice of qualified non-Federal personnel. The Government may also use non-Federal personnel to conduct routine, nondiscretionary administrative activities. The respondents, by submitting their response, consent to the U.S. DOE providing their response to non-Federal parties. Non-Federal parties given access to responses must be subject to an appropriate obligation of confidentiality prior to being given the access. Submissions may be reviewed by support contractors and private consultants.

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