DOE Partners With Universities to Advance Research on Efficient Hydrogen Gas Turbines

The Department of Energy is investing $6.2 million in eight university-led projects to advance research on efficient hydrogen gas turbines.

The research grantees are Georgia Tech, University of Central Florida, San Diego State University, Purdue University, Purdue University, Ohio State University, University of Alabama and University of California, Irvine.

With the exception of SDSU, which received $600,000, all of the universities got $800,000 in funding, the DOE said. 

Each team will be composed of a principal investigator and a group of graduate students. 

Research conducted by the selected universities will support the DOE Office of Fossil Energy’s University Turbine Systems Research program. 

Efforts will be directed at understanding the barriers to advancing the performance and efficiency of hydrogen-fueled combustion engines. The researchers will pay close attention to applied engineering issues and fundamental scientific challenges.

The university-led research projects are expected to contribute to the Biden administration’s decarbonization goals, including enabling economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

In a statement, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm welcomed the research collaboration with the universities.

“Our economic competitors are getting serious about harnessing carbon emissions-free power from hydrogen, and so the U.S. must as well,” Granholm said. 

The million-dollar research grant is one of several investments that the department has announced recently in support of President Joe Biden’s decarbonization priorities.

A month ago, the DOE unveiled two funding opportunities, with a combined value of $162.8 million, for research projects promoting efficiency and reduced carbon emissions among cars, trucks and off-road vehicles.

In addition, the department previously announced $61.4 million in funding for biofuels research in hopes of reducing transportation emissions.