Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota are being asked to play big roles in determining how to make hydrogen a viable form of clean or low-carbon energy.
The Biden administration says a partnership covering the three states has been selected as one of several "hydrogen hubs" to help foster the development of this source as climate change threats grow larger.
Entities in this region will receive up to $925 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Jessica Hellmann - executive director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment - said hydrogen can be produced in different ways, and complements longstanding sources like wind and solar.
"There are sectors of our economy where plugging into renewable energy electricity isn't viable," said Hellmann, "or we need alternative fuels and techniques of doing decarbonization."
One form, known as "green" hydrogen, is derived from water through a process that relies on surplus power from traditional renewables.
Another type of hydrogen involves natural gas and storing the emissions used to make it underground. That option has left some environmental groups skeptical of the push to advance hydrogen production.
Source: publicnewsservice.org
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Categories: Minnesota, Energy