The City of Lancaster celebrates the Department of Energy's (DOE) announcement that California's Alliance for Renewable Clean H₂ Energy Systems (ARCHES) has been awarded up to $1.2 B under the DOE's Regional Clean H₂ Hubs (H2Hubs) program. Lancaster is honored to have been the first city to join ARCHES.

As the pioneering city partner of ARCHES, Lancaster will allocate a segment of the grant to bolster the city's clean energy and carbon reduction goals. Lancaster also actively participates in ARCHES working groups. Selected projects under ARCHES will receive funds to augment the renewable H₂ value chain. The first Lancaster project, Dash Clean Energy, will produce 292,000 kg/yr of renewable H₂, and 17,520 MWhr of Power, while the Element Resources project is expected to produce 20,000,000 kg/yr and generate 250 construction jobs and 36 long-term positions. "The Lancaster City Council is wholly supportive of these H₂ ventures. As we remain at the forefront of the H₂ economy, Lancaster is dedicated to promoting local prosperity and championing sustainable growth. Through the ARCHES initiative, Lancaster envisions its metamorphosis into a benchmark for clean energy implementation, setting a standard for future cities globally," said Mayor of Lancaster, R. Rex Parris.

Steve Meheen, CEO of Element Resources said, "We are delighted that ARCHES has been awarded a H₂ hub grant by the DOE. As a Tier 1 member of ARCHES, we look forward to working with the ARCHES team and with the City of Lancaster to make the California H₂ Hub a reality."

"Dash Clean Energy develops distributed H₂ solutions that provide local grid reliability, Resource Adequacy, and Demand Response for CCA's, IOU's and C&I Customers, and has developed an integrated H₂ energy storage solution using 100% zero emission PEM fuel cell products paired with their H₂ energy management tools. Dash currently has successfully deployed their demonstration project with support of the California Energy Commission and the University of California at Irvine and is pleased to partner with ARCHES and the City of Lancaster, to expand and scale their business offering and install the largest stationary PEM Fuel cell system in North America. With the DOE H₂ hub funding Dash is able to deploy their 20-MW fuel cell system which will provide 10-hours of storage allowing the City of Lancaster clean dispatchable Peak power while creating jobs, supporting entrepreneurs, and expanding clean energy infrastructure," said Gordon Dash, Principal at Dash2Energy.

Additional projects, with limited funding, include a City Hall Microgrid and Fueling Station to support the increased use of H₂-powered transportation, an Energy Center at a multi-functional event space, and a study into a H₂ export project connecting local H₂ production to a larger distribution network.

As part of the H2Hubs, seven recipients will be funded to establish a national H₂ network. With this support, funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, ARCHES could create over 200,000 green jobs in California and generate more than $2.95 B annually in economic value from 2030.

ARCHES is a statewide effort that sees both private and public entities partnering to bring clean energy and green jobs to the State of California. Other partners involved in the proposal include the University of California, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and various private companies. ARCHES is a community-focused consortium committed to benefiting California's disadvantaged communities. At least 40% of the benefits from ARCHES are dedicated to these communities, including Lancaster, ensuring that they receive the support and resources they need to thrive.