THE Department of Energy (DoE) said it drafted a policy that will set the guidelines governing the exploration and development of hydrogen resources for use in power generation.
In a draft circular posted on its website, the DoE said that the “prospective uses of hydrogen in the energy sector shall be divided into power generation and electricity storage applications and non-power applications.”
“Power generation and electricity storage applications shall include the use of electricity produced from hydrogen energy supplied to the grid or as backup and off grid power supply, industrial scale energy storage, co-firing with hydrogen derivatives in existing fossil fuel power plants, and hydrogen and its derivatives cogeneration systems,” the DoE said.
According to the proposed circular, the DoE said that a hydrogen storage facility must function as an energy storage system, using hydrogen gas to store energy for later use in power generation.
This excludes facilities that produce hydrogen and directly convert it to electricity for power generation in “a linear process.”
Non-power applications, on the other hand, include the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in industrial, commercial, and transportation applications.
According to the draft policy, the DoE also hopes to allow the import and export of hydrogen resources to “contribute to decarbonization,” as well as to service the domestic demand.
The DoE will also organize a hydrogen energy industry committee that will oversee the implementation of the circular.
Its function would include developing the roadmap for the hydrogen energy industry, forming a technical working group, collaborating with organizations to conduct research and development, and preparing the budget for such operations, among others.
“The potential of utilizing hydrogen resources, if optimally developed, will play a major role in improving the country’s energy security by reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, and in achieving the country’s goal for a low-carbon future,” the DoE said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
