The federal government has set aside $7 billion to fund the development of six to 10 regional hydrogen hubs across the country. It's part of the Biden administration's goal of a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.
Hawaiʻi officials said the state has a good shot at securing the funding to build hydrogen infrastructure. It’s one of only two states that applied to focus on green energy — solar and possibly geothermal.
While the total project proposal is $2.1 billion, the state applied for $1.2 billion in federal funds to jump-start the development of commercial hydrogen across several islands.
The hydrogen would be geared toward ground and maritime transportation, and possibly as a fuel blend in airplanes.
"I think that we have an extremely credible and competitive application. So we're going to be truly considered. I'd say we have a 50/50 shot at being able to secure this billion-dollar effort for this state. And that's very exciting," said Mark Glick, head of the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office.
Glick said the hydrogen hub plan has received support and participation from 42 local businesses and partners, including U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
But producing "green" hydrogen fuel requires energy to break down water molecules, so Hawaiʻi wants to use renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels.
"We had developers stand up and say, for an emerging hydrogen market, we're willing to produce our natural resources to be able to generate electricity to break down and create this hydrogen," Glick told The Conversation.
He also acknowledged public sentiment about using geothermal energy, particularly among the Native Hawaiian community. Glick said they have spoken to counterparts in New Zealand, which built its first geothermal power station in 1958.
"We put together a number of working groups as we were developing the application with Hawaiian organizations and other leaders, and we hope it will have that level of participation as we proceed," Glick said.
This interview aired on The Conversation on April 18, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
