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Biden-Harris administration releases first-ever national clean H2 strategy and roadmap

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.