Supercharging Electrolyzers: Boosting Zero-Emission Hydrogen Production and Deployment in California

Hydrogen could play a critical role in helping California to decarbonize its electricity grid and achieve carbon neutrality. Yet today zero-emission hydrogen is roughly triple the cost of traditional fossil-based hydrogen production. Electrolyzer project developers also face hurdles around producing, storing, transporting, and facilitating cost-effective purchases of their zero-emission hydrogen. 

To address the challenge, the Center for Law, Energy, and the Environment (CLEE) at Berkeley Law and the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA Law have released a new report, Supercharging Electrolyzers: Boosting Zero-Emission Hydrogen Production and Deployment in California. It highlights policies that could scale zero-emission hydrogen in a way that reduces fossil fuel demand, enhances state energy resiliency, creates new job opportunities, and contributes to improved air quality in disadvantaged communities. The recommendations could also help the state secure a portion of the $8 billion in competitive grant funds for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs that the U.S. Department of Energy announced as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.