In a long-awaited announcement, Chairman

Joe

Biden on Friday named California one of seven recipients of a $7 billion federal hydrogen hub grant program aimed at accelerating the nation’s clean energy efforts and ambitious climate goals.

The Golden State will receive

until

$1.2 billion to build or expand hydrogen projects that will power public transit, port operations and heavy transportation sectors, known to be major contributors to the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

“Today we are moving from concept to reality, advancing clean, renewable hydrogen in California, which is essential to meeting our climate goals,” Governor said. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “California’s hydrogen hub will reduce pollution, boost our clean energy economy and create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs.”

California was one of more than 30 applicants for the competitive initiative called the U.S. Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program, which stems from Biden’s bipartisan 2021 infrastructure bill and is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Other winners include regional hydrogen hubs along the Gulf Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic region, Appalachia and the core states of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The hubs

collectively covering 16 states across the country.

They are expected to produce together

three

3 million tons of hydrogen per year and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 25 million tons, an amount roughly equivalent to 5.5 million gas-powered cars, the DOE said.

Hydrogen can be produced from a variety of sources, including natural gas, nuclear energy, biomass and renewable sources such as wind and solar energy. When burned in a fuel cell, the byproduct is water or water vapor, not carbon dioxide. The California hub will produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass, while other hubs will experiment with other sources.

But while I was thinking

Officials in California, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., called the program a pivotal moment in the nation’s move toward carbon neutrality. Critics raised concerns about hydrogen’s potential as a source of clean energy.

The process of making hydrogen is energy intensive, and skeptics say it could end up emitting more planet-warming carbon.

“Hydrogen development is energy-intensive to produce, can pose a public safety hazard during transportation, can cause harmful air pollution when burned, and is a play by the fossil fuel industry to increase its viability and profits,” he said. a statement from Marion. Gee, co-executive director of the Climate Justice Alliance, a coalition representing rural and urban environmental justice organizations.

Chirag Bhakta, director of Food & Water Watch California, noted that hydrogen is water that uses at least 5,000 gallons of water per megawatt hour, which could pose dangers to California and other states facing water supply challenges.

“California’s water supply is already at risk, a fact made worse by our current drought and flood cycles, and instead of investing in sustainable solutions to climate change, our leaders are buying into the false promise of hydrogen,” said Bhakta.

Others urged the state to prioritize direct electrification over expensive hydrogen solutions. For example, using clean energy to power a plug-in electric car is more efficient than using that energy to produce hydrogen, says Woody Hastings, program manager of the Phase Out Polluting Fuels Program at

T

e Climate Center, a think tank in California.

That didn’t stop officials in Los Angeles from gathering Friday to celebrate the news, including Mayor Karen Bass, who said the hydrogen hub program “brings us one step closer to advancing our clean air goals.”

In fact, a key part of California’s hydrogen hub will be centered

around up

Los Angeles, where officials will focus on decarbonizing power plants, ports and trucks, said Nancy Sutley, deputy mayor for energy and sustainability.

The city’s projects include the modernization of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Scattergood Generation Station, one of the oldest in its system, which will be upgraded to hydrogen-capable turbines.

Just fifteen years ago, Los Angeles was about 50% dependent on coal energy; The country will no longer have coal in its portfolio next year, says DWP Chief Operating Officer Aram Benyamin. This progress marks a reduction of more than 6 million tonnes of emissions that will be further promoted through the hydrogen hub, he said.

Ports in the Los Angeles area will also use the hydrogen hub to electrify equipment and reduce smog and carbon pollution from cargo handling equipment, and in later phases, trucks and ships, said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach first announced six years ago their ambition to be the first in the world to have zero-emission cargo handling equipment and trucks, Seroka said, noting that “today’s announcement is really that big step towards zero emissions policy.” emissions target and decarbonisation of the entire maritime supply chain.”

The city’s hydrogen goals align with Newsom’s own climate ambitions for California, including mandates to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, provide 90% clean electricity by 2035 and ban all sales of new gasoline cars by 2035.

Federally, Biden has directed the nation to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. During a news briefing on Friday, Biden said the hydrogen hubs will help achieve that goal.

“If we don’t do this, if we don’t stay below these numbers, the whole world will change,” the president said. “Clean hydrogen will help us achieve this goal.”

Biden said wind and solar energy already help power cars and homes, but when it comes to heavy manufacturing and transportation, it requires more energy than what wind and solar can easily provide.

“That’s where hydrogen comes into the picture,” he said. “Hydrogen can power industries such as steel and aluminum production. It will ultimately change our transportation system such as trucks, rails and airplanes. … It allows us to get on site without putting even more carbon into the atmosphere to take.”

California’s application for the federal hydrogen program was submitted in April through the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, or ARCHES, a statewide public-private partnership focused on clean hydrogen.

ARCHES board member Dee De Myers, who is also a senior adviser to Newsom, said Friday’s award is a “testament to California’s unparalleled commitment to a carbon-neutral future.”

“There is no better place to showcase the benefits of clean, renewable hydrogen and the role it can play in decarbonizing our economy while creating green jobs and sustainable businesses at scale,” said Myers.