Today, the Energy Department's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced the city of San Francisco has been selected as the first Climate Action Champion to pursue hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for local transportation, in addition to new analysis projects by Strategic Analysis, Inc. The nearly $4.75 million in funding for both efforts will go towards the development of education and outreach programs to increase the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen infrastructure, as well as provide detailed cost analyses for hydrogen fuel cell systems, hydrogen storage, and hydrogen production and delivery technologies.
Today's selections were announced by Deputy Assistant Secretary Reuben Sarkar during a meeting in Berkeley, California of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy, a government partnership of 17 countries and the European Commission coordinating activities in hydrogen and fuel cells.
With today's funding, the San Francisco Department of the Environment will conduct comprehensive training and educational activities for hydrogen and fuel cell stakeholders throughout the Bay Area. A 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.
In addition, Strategic Analysis, Inc., based in Arlington, Virginia, 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 towards 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.
In December of 2014, the White House launched the Climate Action Champions Initiative and announced 16 communities from around the country, including the City of San Francisco, as the first class of Climate Action Champions. These communities were recognized for their strong commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and the fight against climate change.