Alberta to provide more funding for hydrogen innovation

The provincial government of Alberta, Canada, announced Aug. 1 it will provide CA$45 million in funding to power new hydrogen technologies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs

Hydrogen is expected to be a CA$2.5 trillion to CA$11 trillion industry worldwide by 2050.

Alberta has created a hydrogen roadmap, an emissions reduction and energy development plan, and a natural gas strategy to recognize the importance of growing the provincial hydrogen economy while cutting emissions and accessing global markets, Alberta government officials said.

As part of this work and through Alberta Innovates' Hydrogen Center of Excellence and Emissions Reduction Alberta, the provincial government will launch two hydrogen funding competitions using the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund.

Applicants can submit a single proposal for the following funding streams:

• CA$20 million is available through the Alberta Innovates' Hydrogen Center of Excellence and Emissions Reduction Alberta. Natural Resources Canada is providing another CA$5 million to Alberta Innovates through its energy innovation program; and

• CA$25 million is available through Emissions Reduction Alberta for later-stage technologies.

The new funding is expected to drive new hydrogen technologies to be used in production, transmission and distribution, storage, and in industries like heavy-duty transportation, industrial heat and chemicals.

To date, Emissions Reduction Alberta has invested more than CA$60 million from the TIER fund into hydrogen technologies across the value chain, including a net-zero production complex, hydrogen-powered transit buses, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City's hydrogen locomotive, which is North America’s first line-haul hydrogen-powered locomotive using fuel cells and batteries for power.