The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has selected the City of San Francisco as the first Climate Action Champion to pursue hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for local transportation and has announced new analysis projects by Strategic Analysis Inc.
According to the DOE, the nearly $4.75 million in funding for both efforts will go toward the development of education and outreach programs to increase the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen infrastructure, as well as to provide detailed cost analyses for hydrogen fuel cell systems, hydrogen storage, and hydrogen production and delivery technologies.
With this funding, the DOE asserts the San Francisco Department of the Environment will conduct comprehensive training and educational activities for hydrogen and fuel cell stakeholders throughout the Bay Area. Overall, the Energy Department says that the key goal of this project is to harmonize local regulations and building codes to ease the siting and construction of hydrogen fueling stations while reducing the cost and complexity of FCEVs for the community through regional education and outreach.
Additionally, the DOE says that Arlington, Va.-based Strategic Analysis Inc. has been selected to analyze the cost-competitiveness for a range of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, including those used in hydrogen infrastructure relevant to San Francisco and other projects. These cost analyses and evaluations are critical components to move the industry of hydrogen and fuel cell technology development toward widespread commercial deployment.
Project partners include the San Francisco Clean Cities Coalition, the California Fuel Cell Partnership, the Business Council on Climate Change and the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at U.C. Berkeley.
