ILTA Hosts Energy Transition Webinar with Dr. Asha-Dee Celestine, DOE
On September 20th, ILTA hosted its second Energy Transition webinar, focused on the work being done at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to foster a hydrogen economy and how liquid terminals fit into their strategy. The webinar kicked off with a detailed presentation by Dr. Asha-Dee Celestine, representative for the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) at DOE, and was followed by a lively conversation between her and Christopher Hessler, Founding Partner at AJW Inc.
Dr. Celestine provided an in-depth look at the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, explaining how initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Hydrogen Hubs are mobilizing billions of dollars to develop the entire hydrogen supply chain, including infrastructure for storage and transportation. On this front, she mentioned several specific projects where the private sector is collaborating closely with the government to develop relevant infrastructure. This included:
· The Hydrogen Materials Compatibility Consortium (H-Mat) which is a collaborative effort between Sandia National Laboratories (SNL, lead), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, lead), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), to carry out cross-cutting early-stage research and development (R&D) on hydrogen materials compatibility. This group works closely with the private sector on the development of these materials and is open to receiving data and input from companies working on this topic.
The HyBlend Initiative which aims to address technical barriers to blending hydrogen in natural gas pipelines, led by SNL and supported by PNNL, ORNL, ANL, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). Importantly, this group has leaned on approximately 25 additional industry partners and laboratories to help define the codes and standards for hydrogen, including those outlined by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA).
A consortium led by Shell and supported by McDermott's CB&I Storage Solutions, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, GenH2, and the University of Houston, have been working on developing a storage tank that will enable large-scale liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage for international trade applications. As of now, the consortium has selected the final tank design and is preparing a 20 m3 demo tank. The group will also be key to helping identify gaps in current safety codes & standards related to large scale LH2 storage and is open to receiving input.
The examples mentioned by Dr. Celestine represent only a portion of what DOE is doing to help drive the hydrogen industry forward and serve as illustrative examples of how ILTA members can find ways to voice their concerns and help shape the industry. In line with that, Dr. Celestine suggested ILTA’s members engage with DOE directly to help the agency understand private sector needs and challenges while coming up with solutions that can help kickstart their role in the hydrogen economy. She specifically cited joining the Center for Hydrogen Safety as a good first step and reminded participants that the 2024 DOE Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting, where DOE’s strategy for the following year is laid out, will take place on May 6-9, 2024. There will also be DOE workshops on hydrogen infrastructure in January and February of 2024, with more details to come. Additional information on DOE’s H2 work can be found on the HFTO website and DOE’s hydrogen program website.
ILTA’s next Energy Transition Webinar will be on October 18th at 2-3pm EST and will feature a conversation with Mark Peak of Mitsubishi! Mr. Peak is a licensed Professional Environmental Engineer (LA & TX) with over 35 years of broad experience in health, safety and environmental engineering. He has extensive project management, multi-media permitting and compliance experience with all phases of oil & gas operations (upstream, midstream and downstream), power generation, ethanol and LNG facilities and also assisted in the development of environmental programs for Native American tribes in the western US. Mark has degree in Chemical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and has been a member of AWMA since 1992. He currently works for Mitsubishi Power Americas as a principal environmental engineer and subject matter expert for issues and challenges related to environmental aspects of gas turbines power generation and hydrogen infrastructure development.