Hydrogen’s role in the New Green Ecosystem and Its Interactions with the Electric power System—Utility and Developer Perspectives

Driven, in part, by the US DOE Hydrogen Program, interest in green hydrogen for R&D and deployment is rising in the United States. It is anticipated that regional clean hydrogen hubs will accelerate hydrogen use as an energy carrier for delivering and storing energy. This represents $9.5B allocated to clean hydrogen research, development, and demonstration programs. A recent investigation into planned green hydrogen projects in the United States identified large-scale projects with tens of GW of renewable energy. Through those projects, several interconnected industries are planned to become more integrated as they address the global problem of climate change through decarbonization. These industries include the power and energy sector, the industrial sector, transportation, and agriculture, among others. The systems and infrastructure required for these projects relate to power generation, natural gas, renewable natural gas and hydrogen. Also at the technologies level, microgrids, integrated with solar, wind, battery energy storage, and electrolyzers are expected. This panel will provide a multi-disciplinary view of green hydrogen from the perspective of electric power utilities and developers. They have planned projects in the United States, and potentially with the US DOE funds. Panelists will address themes such as: 1. The capability of portfolios made of solar, wind, and batteries to meet capacity and energy needs, and portfolios’ dependence on import/export capabilities. 2. The identification of zones in the United States where dispatchable renewable fuels are appearing in integrated resource plans (IRPs) that aim for net zero futures. 3. The role of green hydrogen as a fuel and a load, the intricacies of siting hydrogen plants close to electric power grids, and the roles of off-takers. 4. The potential risks, roadblocks, and enablers in the development of hydrogen infrastructure.