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Energy Department Launches $10 Million Effort to Develop Advanced Water Splitting Materials

October 24, 2016

The Energy Department (DOE) recently announced $10 million, subject to appropriations, to support the launch of the HydroGEN Advanced Water Splitting Materials Consortium (HydroGEN). This consortium will utilize the expertise and capabilities of the national laboratories to accelerate the development of commercially viable pathways for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources. HydroGEN is being launched as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) that began in February of this year, crafted to give American entrepreneurs and manufacturers a competitive edge in the global race for clean energy in support of the Materials Genome Initiative and advanced manufacturing priorities. Currently, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funds research and development of low-carbon hydrogen production pathways, and by establishing HydroGEN, the DOE intends to accelerate innovation with the assistance of the national laboratories.

The new consortium is led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and also includes Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Savannah River National Laboratory. The consortium's newly launched website details capabilities being made available to companies, academia, and other labs, and also details mechanisms for engagement.

See the DOE press release and the NREL press release for more information about HydroGEN and the other EMN consortia.

Photo of a researcher working with a photoelectrode in a lab