The US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced nearly $20 million in small business awards for Phase I Release 2 projects under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. More than 100 projects across 26 states will receive funds to demonstrate technical feasibility for energy technology innovations.

The following three projects, supported by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, will address hydrogen R&D challenges and advance progress in hydrogen production from wind power:

Alchemr will develop and test a hydrogen production system that can enable chemical and fuels manufacturing as well as increased use of offshore wind energy without the need for major transmission infrastructure investment. The new anion exchange membrane electrolyzers will enable fuels and chemicals to be manufactured at off-shore locations. This will enable wind energy to be utilized without requiring major transmission infrastructure to be built and create new revenues and jobs for US industry.

Giner will develop a cost model and design requirements for a wind-to-hydrogen generation system and identify the cost impacts associated with generating and transmitting hydrogen from offshore windfarms instead of electricity.

Greenway Energy will develop and test a new, low-cost, and efficient electrolysis system that can be directly coupled with wind turbine power. The electrolyzer will demonstrate long term performance and lifetime with minimal maintenance and operating costs.