Hydrogen Infrastructure Progress Report Also Released
In the last weeks of December, the California Energy Commission released two grant funding opportunities (GFOs) and one report that are important in the rollout of hydrogen fueling infrastructure and fuel cell electric passenger cars, and potentially key to the stimulus of renewable hydrogen production in California.
Energy Storage
The Energy Commission has noted that “while lithium-ion battery technology is a good short-term energy storage solution, the technology has safety concerns (thermal runaway) and long-term performance issues (limits on the number of cycles the technology can perform in a day or over its lifetime).”
GFO 19-306 will fund non-lithium ion technologies that can provide a minimum of 10 hours of energy storage. Hydrogen projects can potentially qualify for this funding opportunity.
Hydrogen is increasingly recognized for its ability to help balance the grid and provide long-term energy storage. Projects are already under way around the world, including one energy storage project in Utah that was announced last year.
Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure
The Commission also released GFO 19-602, making available up to $115.7 million in grant funds for hydrogen refueling infrastructure.
These funds come from Assembly Bill 8, signed into law in 2013. AB 8 directs funding for at least 100 hydrogen stations for passenger cars, among other programs and activities.
More than 40 retail stations are open and more than 20 are in development across California. This grant funding opportunity, coupled with the new zero-emission infrastructure credit in the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, will likely fund enough stations to surpass the 100-station milestone and advance the market in support of the state’s goal of five million zero-emission vehicles by 2030.
Former Governor Brown called for 200 hydrogen stations by 2025 and CaFCP has called for 1,000 stations by 2030 serving upwards of 1,000,000 fuel cell cars, buses and trucks.
AB 8 Report – annual report on station development
Assembly Bill 8 requires the California Energy Commission and California Resources Board annually jointly review and report on the progress of the hydrogen-fueling network. The latest report identifies the need for more hydrogen stations to meet state goals.
The current report and previous reports can be also found on CaFCP’s Resources database at https://cafcp.org/resources.
List of GFOs and the AB 8 annual report
GFO-19-306 - Demonstrating Long Duration and Title 24-Compatible Energy Storage Technologies