New York State Allocates $11M for Carbon-Free Hydrogen R&D

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced more than $11 million in new awards to help finance clean hydrogen projects statewide.

The awarded projects will highlight new technology designs, cost reductions associated with clean hydrogen storage and distribution, evaluate large-scale clean hydrogen storage opportunities, and deploy zero-emission hydrogen-powered transportation. The awards try to address barriers to the wider adoption of clean hydrogen as a potential solution to decarbonize industrial processes, hard-to-electrify sectors, such as transportation, and for grid support in the State’s energy transition.

The projects were selected through the Advanced Fuels and Thermal Energy Research Program administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which provides funding for clean fuel innovation projects helping decarbonize industrial processes, integrate clean fuel production with renewable energy, and demonstrate clean fuel power generation systems to support the grid reliability. The projects are funded through the State’s 10-year, $6 billion Clean Energy Fund.

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Among the hydrogen R&D awardees are GTI Energy, National Grid Ventures, Plug Power, Stony Brook University and SWITCH Maritime.

Hydrogen does contain carbon in its molecular chain and does not emit CO2 at the point of use. To be considered green, or truly carbon-free hydrogen, it must be generated by electrolyzers powered by non-emitting resources such as wind, solar, nuclear and hydro.

The awarded projects will demonstrate the role of clean hydrogen in reducing various emissions, including carbon, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, from industrial processes and transportation in congested areas, helping improve public health near transit hubs, industrial corridors, and hospitals, including in disadvantaged communities, as defined by the New York State Climate Justice Working Group criteria.

The awarded projects include:

• GTI Energy was awarded over $220,000 to evaluate New York’s geological hydrogen storage potential to support large-scale, long-duration energy storage through site-specific studies to inform statewide infrastructure planning.
• National Grid Ventures was awarded $2 million to install a commercially deployed, 100 percent hydrogen-fueled linear generator at National Grid’s Northport Power Plant in Fort Salonga. It will be tested for one year to demonstrate its benefits in improving air quality and grid reliability.

“The first-of-its-kind commercial deployment of a green hydrogen linear generator at our Northport power plant is a big step forward in advancing new energy resources. This innovative, flameless technology will minimize emissions and run on clean hydrogen, with the ability to use other more accessible or affordable fuel sources as needed. At National Grid, we’re committed to building a stronger, more resilient energy system — and this pilot is another leap forward in that work.”

• Plug Power was awarded $2 million to partner with Verne to co-develop new hydrogen distribution trailers with cryo-compressed storage technologies, which is expected to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and enable clean hydrogen deployment for small to mid-sized warehouse and distribution center customers in New York.
• Stony Brook University was awarded over $4.9 million for a low-pressure, ambient-temperature hydrogen storage system at Staten Island University Hospital – North Campus, which is operated by Northwell Health, to improve resilience and reliability of the healthcare systems operation.
• SWITCH Maritime was awarded $2 million to develop and demonstrate New York’s first hydrogen fuel cell-electric ferry to provide zero-emission transportation on New York City waterways.

NYSERDA’s Innovation and Research (I&R) program is deploying approximately $1.2 billion over 15 years as direct research investments and commercialization support. More than $800 million in investments have supported more than 700 companies and made approximately 300 products commercially available to individuals, businesses, and utilities until now.