Current±’s publisher, Solar Media, is set to hold its US Green Hydrogen Summit 2024 East Coast event in Philadelphia on November 19–20, 2024. The event will welcome key players from across the US hydrogen industry and discuss various aspects of the East Coast’s hydrogen economy and the opportunities that are forming.
In the build-up to the event, Current±, as the event’s editorial partner, will be holding a series of Q&A’s exploring some of the key discussions from the event, what to expect and some of the growth opportunities in the US east coast.
In this Q&A, Current± speaks to Haiyan Sun, program manager for hydrogen and clean fuels at NYSERDA about the US green hydrogen sector.
What are you most looking forward to at Solar Media’s upcoming Green Hydrogen Summit East Coast event?
I am looking forward to learning from other meeting participants and speakers and sharing my thoughts on the latest progress on hydrogen and low carbon fuels in the northeast region including New York’s advancement of clean hydrogen produced from renewable energy with electrolysers, as well as insights on opportunities and challenges.
What are some of the opportunities in the current market? Also, what are some of the challenges hindering the adoption and progression of the US hydrogen market?
The final Scoping Plan adopted by New York’s Climate Action Council references the need for clean fuels in order to decarbonize hard to electrify sectors, as well as to provide resilient solutions and grid reliability. As more renewable energy resources are deployed, there is a concurrentneed to develop dispatchable emission free resources such as hydrogen to support sustainable economic growth, which was a topic of conversation at the State’s Future Energy Economy Summit held on September 5 in Syracuse, New York.
Federal policy uncertainty (e.g. 45V guidance) is one key challenge for long term business planning. In addition, safety and regulatory barriers, community education, and infrastructure needs, will need to be addressed to support growth of this new resource.
Has enough support been granted thus far to grow the hydrogen market?
Much has already been done at both the federal and state level. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Energy has designated and funded regional hydrogen hubs, which will help grow the entire hydrogen ecosystem across the United States. Additionally, federal funding released in the last couple of years provides support for zero emission technologies in various sectors, such as the Environmental Protection Act clean ports program, and Department of Transportation’s clean transportation program.
In New York, NYSERDA made available approximately US$32 million (£24 million) in research and development funding over the past two years to invest in hydrogen innovation as well as offering cost share dollars for projects awarded federal funding.
Is there something about the New York hydrogen sector that you want our audience to know that we haven’t discussed?
I see hydrogen evolving across sectors in New York, making it a viable economy-wide solution. Funding opportunities and awarded projects through NYSERDA’s innovation programs are part of New York State’s holistic plan to support the exploration of hydrogen and other long duration energy storage technologies, from research to development and demonstration.
This work will continue as New York develops a connected network of clean hydrogen projects across the state, from production and manufacturing to end use, which advances economic development, resiliency, and the integration of renewables onto the grid.
