Last week, nearly 3,000 stakeholders convened for the first ever Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Shot Summit – a two-day event to kick off an inclusive and transparent dialogue around what it will take to achieve Hydrogen Shot and how to leverage clean hydrogen to create opportunities for all. Hydrogen Shot is the first in a series of DOE's Energy Earthshots that support President Biden's goals to transition our economy to clean energy and address the climate crisis. The Energy Earthshots are aimed at driving the major breakthroughs needed to dramatically reduce costs of critical clean energy technologies by 2030, scale deployment to reach the goal of a net-zero economy by 2050, and create clean energy jobs. 

Secretary Jennifer Granholm kicked off the first day with welcome remarks and by launching the DOE Hydrogen Shot Fellowship. Deputy Secretary David Turk served as the Master of Ceremony and moderator, and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Bill Gates provided opening remarks. The summit also incorporated a series of lightning rounds from senior DOE and National Laboratories staff, as well as panels with industry and regional leaders. Remarks from Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), U.S. Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Greg Pence (R-IN) set the stage for deep dive discussions around key pathways to achieve Hydrogen Shot, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and former U.S. Representative Robert Walker (R-PA) shared their perspectives as part of Summit’s closing plenary.

“America is at its best when it is at its boldest, and as America’s ‘Solutions Agency,’ this is where the Department of Energy shines,” said Deputy Secretary Turk. “If we can lower the cost of clean hydrogen to $1 per 1 kilogram, we’ll have the means to decarbonize industrial manufacturing… to refuel hydrogen fuel cell trucks and make alternative, low-carbon fuel for planes… to produce clean ammonia and other chemicals… to create longer-duration storage… and so much more.”

Examples of key themes during the Summit included the need to collaborate across all sectors, to leverage clean hydrogen to lift-up communities in need, and to identify opportunities for scale as a way to bring costs down. The Summit breakout sessions focused on specific technical areas, including electrolysis, thermal conversion with carbon capture, as well as advanced hydrogen production pathways, needed to achieve Hydrogen Shot’s goal of $1 per 1 kilogram in 1 decade. An additional breakout session focused on barriers to clean hydrogen deployment and on environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion considerations.  Breakout sessions included diverse representation from stakeholders ranging from industry, research, national laboratories, tribal nation leaders, members of the environment justice community, local, state and federal government agencies, international organizations, and NGOs. Feedback and insights from breakout session discussions will help the DOE Hydrogen Program drive actions and research needed so that hydrogen can achieve the scale and impact needed to tackle the climate crisis and transition to an equitable clean energy future.

Hydrogen Shot Summit recordings will be available on the Hydrogen Shot Summit page.