The Biden-Harris Administration released the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, a comprehensive framework for accelerating the production, processing, delivery, storage and use of clean H₂. Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership other federal agencies, the strategy and roadmap underscores the President’s whole-of-government approach to addressing the climate crisis and achieving a carbon-free grid by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.

The Strategy and Roadmap provides a snapshot of H₂ production, transport, storage and use in the U.S. and a vision for how clean H₂ will contribute to national decarbonization goals across multiple sectors in the future. It examines future demand scenarios—with strategic opportunities for the domestic production of 10 MM metric tpy of clean H₂ by 2030, 20 MM metric tpy by 2040 and 50 MM metric tpy by 2050. It also complements a historic $9.5-B investment for clean H₂ through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, ongoing research and development efforts across the federal government, as well as strong policy incentives—including a new production tax credit for clean H₂—in the historic Inflation Reduction Act.

The strategy and roadmap identifies three key strategies to ensure that clean H₂ is developed and adopted as an effective decarbonization tool, including: 

• Targeting strategic, high-impact uses for clean H₂, which will ensure that clean H₂ will be utilized in the highest benefit applications, where limited alternatives exist (such as the industrial sector, heavy-duty transportation, and long-duration energy storage to enable a clean grid)
• Reducing the cost of clean H₂ by catalyzing innovation and scale, stimulating private sector investments, and developing the clean H₂ supply chain
• Focusing on regional networks with large-scale clean H₂ production and end-use in proximity, enabling maximum benefit from infrastructure investment, driving scale, and facilitating market liftoff while leveraging place-based opportunities for equity, inclusion and environmental justice.

To ensure the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap addresses the needs and incorporates input from the broadest possible array of H₂ stakeholders, it was released in draft form for public comment in September 2022. The final version reflects feedback from across the Biden-Harris Administration, stakeholders in industry, academia, and the non-profit sector, as well as state, local, and Tribal governments. It also incorporates findings from DOE’s March 2023 report, Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Clean Hydrogen. Given the rapidly evolving market, technology, and policy environment as well as community needs and engagement, the Strategy and Roadmap was designed to be a living document and will be updated at least every three years.