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Con   gressional Research Service
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                                                                                                October 19, 2023

DOE Appropriations for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Activities:

FY2024


The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen  Program
addresses the development of applications that use
hydrogen in place of today's fuels to provide modern
energy services. The program also considers hydrogen as an
established industrial chemical, for example, in petroleum
refining. The DOE program includes over 400 projects
involving research and development (R&D), systems
integration, and demonstration and deployment activities-
collectively performed by universities, national
laboratories, and industry. These activities cover the energy
value chain starting with producing hydrogen from diverse
feedstocks; transporting and storing it; and finally using it
in various applications. The program is led by the Hydrogen
and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) within the DOE
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
(EERE).

A future hydrogen economy using hydrogen as an energy
carrier and fuel could offer an alternative to today's
economy  with its prevalent combustion of fossil fuels.
Initially thought of as a new technology for personal
mobility services (e.g., cars) and high-value applications
such as provision of electric power during space flight,
hydrogen now  is receiving attention for industrial
processes, heavy vehicles, forklifts, portable power, and
buffering and balancing of electric power. In addition to
annual appropriations on hydrogen, legislation enacted in
the 117th Congress funded hydrogen programs and provided
incentives for production of hydrogen that meets certain
criteria. For more information, see CRS Report R47487,
The Hydrogen  Economy: Putting the Pieces Together, by
Martin C. Offutt.

Federal Hydrogen Programs

Authorizing  Legislation
The Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development,
and Demonstration Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-413) authorized a
federal hydrogen program, initially at the National Science
Foundation. Congress transferred overall management
responsibility of the hydrogen program to DOE with the
Spark M. Matsunaga  Hydrogen Research, Development,
and Demonstration Program Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-566).
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct, P.L. 109-58) and
its amendments, including the Infrastructure Investment and
Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L. 117-58), further defined the program's
scope and purpose.

The  DOE   Progra
The DOE  Hydrogen  Program includes several offices with
responsibility for supporting hydrogen work based on
different sources of energy (e.g., renewable, fossil, nuclear)
and types of end-use (e.g., vehicles, portable power,


thermal comfort). DOE's June 2023 National Clean
Hydrogen  Strategy and Roadmap envisages 10 million
metric tons of new production of hydrogen by 2030, further
stipulated to be clean hydrogen as defined in statute and
DOE  regulation. The Strategy and Roadmap has three focal
points: increasing the use of industrial applications,
including heavy-duty transportation and energy storage;
reducing the cost of clean hydrogen; and developing
regional networks through the Regional Clean Hydrogen
Hubs  (§40314 of IIJA). DOE's Hydrogen Shot goal for
the cost of hydrogen is $1 per kilogram by 2031, not
including delivery and dispensing, for production using
electrolyzers that split water to make the hydrogen.
Currently the cost of hydrogen made with electrolyzers is
roughly $5/kg.

DOE   Spending
Within DOE,  two offices-EERE  and the Office of Fossil
Energy and Carbon Management-were responsible   for
executing over 80% of DOE's budget authority on
hydrogen and fuel cells from the FY2023 annual
appropriation. The Office of Nuclear Energy and Office of
Science received smaller amounts. The DOE-wide total was
$437.5 million in FY2023, including $20.0 million
announced by ARPA-E   (Advanced Research Projects
Agency-Energy)  in September 2023.

Figure  1. FY2024 President' Budget Request  for the
DOE   Hydrogen  Program,  by Office ($million)


Source: Department of Energy FY2024 Congressional
Justification: Vol 2: Crosscutting Activities, March 2023. ARPA-E funding
for hydrogen is determined annually based on programs developed
through office and stakeholder priorities and defined, in part, by the
proposals it receives and awards.
For FY2024, the President's budget request included
$381.6 million (see Figure 1). The House Appropriations


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