Hydrogen

North Carolina State University (NCSU) has developed an energy-efficient strategy for room-temperature hydrogen release from liquid hydrogen carriers, which uses less rhodium. Elsewhere in the world, Airbus launched its Zero Emission Development Centre in the UK, Toshiba ESS teamed up with Fusion Fuel to target Australian and European markets, and Corfo signed agreements to finance three renewable hydrogen projects with GNL Quintero, iCAP, and Air Liquide in Chile.

NREL researchers look at perovskite materials for solar-fuel platform that supports DOE’s HydroGEN project.

Green Hydrogen International (GHI) and Hydrogen Optimized signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the proposed development of manufacturing facility that will supply GHI’s Hydrogen City project.

NREL’s final report on the future of storage, drawing from a series of six in-depth studies, presents “key learnings” from across those studies.

Also on the rise: Four Northeast states form consortium to develop regional clean hydrogen hub. NREL researchers work on developing high energy density cells to advance stationary storage. Discovery of “structural earthquake” in cathode formation may improve sodium-ion batteries 20-40%. Federal budget includes $500 million for promoting energy storage.

New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey to join dozens of corporations and universities in demonstrating shared vision for clean energy.

Also on the rise: Invasion of Ukraine an inadvertent boost for green hydrogen. 175MW Pike Solar and Storage Project cleared for construction in Colorado. Joint development agreement for light-optimizing, energy-producing modules designed to top agrivoltaic greenhouses. Barrio Solar wants to help Brooklyn homeowners go solar. While interconnection seen as a bottleneck to solar, three grid regions processed 25GW of solar interconnection requests last year. The 400MW Obsidian Solar Center in Oregon gets final approval. Research on semi-transparent organic photovoltaic filters for agrivoltaic greenhouses.

Rystad Energy and BloombergNEF indicate that the impact of the war has sent prices of fossil fuel-tied forms of hydrogen production surging, leaving the gradual but consistent downward price trend of green hydrogen now looking remarkably competitive.

Business data analyst IHS Markit published a series of clean tech predictions for the year that also highlighted the rising proportion of sub-5MW solar projects in the global market, and cheaper clean energy financing costs even as panel prices continue to rise.

Also on the rise: Equitable access to solar is part of DOE-backed plan. One to six million metric tons of lithium may lie beneath the Salton Sea. Adopting standards for EVs will accelerate the path for these vehicles. Solar tracker manufacturers can expect a boom in the US through 2025. Heliogen plans concentrated solar power manufacturing facility. IBM, ABB, and Worley team up to help energy companies build and operate green hydrogen facilities.