Research Publications

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs” (H2Hubs) in collaboration with the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) and the DOE Hydrogen Program. The Notice of Intent to release this FOA indicates that the H2Hubs “will form the foundation of a national clean hydrogen network that will contribute substantially to decarbonizing multiple sectors of the economy while also enabling regional and community benefits.” The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $8 billion of funding for this effort and is expected to result in at least four H2Hubs across the U.S.
In advance of this announcement, and to identify potential near- and long-term hydrogen deployment opportunities and key enabling factors, the Center for Sustainable Systems (CSS) at the University of Michigan convened the Hydrogen Roadmap for the State of Michigan workshop on May 20, 2022 with support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the University of Michigan Office of Research (UMOR). The CSS research team evaluated hydrogen production, delivery and storage, and end-use application technologies, as well as hydrogen roadmaps and strategy documents from around the world, and presented findings at the Workshop for feedback. The 73 participants at the workshop, who represented commercial, governmental, and academic organizations, also provided input on the location and clustering of Michigan and regional assets related to hydrogen production and use (both current and potential).
The information compiled and presented in this Workshop Report is a high-level assessment intended to guide planning and future detailed analysis. A hydrogen ecosystem encompasses production, delivery, storage, and end-use applications, as illustrated in Exhibit ES-1.1 The design of a hydrogen ecosystem for Michigan begins with quantifying the end-use applications for hydrogen, which then defines the demand for production, delivery, and storage of hydrogen. More detailed analysis of demand than is presented here is necessary in order to make decisions on which end uses and production methods should be pursued in Michigan and across the wider region. After characterizing the opportunities and challenges for each hydrogen end-use, production, delivery, and storage technology, we explore their spatial distribution in Michigan and across the Midwest region. Current Michigan and regional assets and potential hydrogen transition industries were compiled and mapped to identify potential hydrogen demand clusters. A summary map is presented as Figure ES-1. The evaluation and spatial mapping of technologies provides the foundation for the hydrogen technology deployment recommendations for Michigan that are presented below.