Hydrogen fuel may receive more funding in the US

US begins showing stronger backing for hydrogen fuel

The U.S. may be showing more support for hydrogen fuel, as a number of federal lawmakers commit their support to a House Appropriations Request Letter that calls for more funding into fuel cells and hydrogen. The U.S. has been a strong advocate of renewable energy, but hydrogen fuel has not been one of the country’s most favored form of clean power. Despite showing more support for solar and wind power, the federal government has provided some backing to hydrogen fuel projects in several parts of the country, especially when these projects are focused on transportation.

$147 million in funding for hydrogen projects

The House Appropriations Letter requests $147.8 million in funding for several hydrogen fuel projects that are taking place throughout the U.S. The majority of the funding is expected to go toward various transportation projects that involve hydrogen fuel in some way. Transportation has become the most popular use for hydrogen fuel in the U.S., as well as elsewhere in the world.

Letter seeks funding for Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance

The letter also seeks to allocate some $50 million in funding for the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance, a Department of Energy program that seeks to develop low-cost fuel cell energy systems. The funding would help the organization make progress on its research and development efforts, helping draw more attention to hydrogen fuel. Low-cost fuel cells have been an elusive goal for some time. One of the major challenges facing hydrogen fuel currently is the cost of fuel cell energy systems. Lowering the cost of these energy systems is likely to make them more attractive to the commercial market.

Funds to be managed by Department of Energy

Thus far, the House Appropriations Request Letter has attained the backing of more than 30  House Representatives and Senators. Both the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association and the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance are managed by the Department of Energy. If more funding is approved for both these organizations, how the funding is used will be dictated by the interests of the Department of Energy.