The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority said Jan. 24 it has awarded more than $1.2 million to four clean hydrogen research and development projects through its advanced fuels and thermal energy research program.
Award recipients include Bettergy Corp., Ecolectro Inc., Orion Polymer Corp. and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The projects involve new designs for clean hydrogen electrolyzers – devices that split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
The awarded contracts are part of an $18.3 million federal funding initiative announced by the U.S. Department of Energy in March 2024 for selected projects to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen systems. The state of New York is providing funding to the four projects to meet the cost-share requirements of the federal awards.
Funding for Bettergy ($167,000), Ecolectro ($720,000) and Orion Polymer ($200,000) will go toward the development of enhanced membranes for AEM electrolyzer systems, focusing on durability, performance and scalability. Their approaches range from optimizing preparation processes to using rigid-backbone polymers and highly conductive materials.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute received $187,000 to develop low-fluorine polymer membranes, aiming to reduce costs and hydrogen crossover risks in polymer exchange membrane electrolyzer systems.
This latest round of funding is a continuation of the state’s ongoing investments in clean hydrogen. In October 2024, the Energy Research and Development Authority awarded more than $8 million for eight clean hydrogen projects, which include hydrogen production, manufacturing facility and different end uses.
