Courtesy Lucy Wyndham
UNDATED (NewsDakota.com) – The Governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, and the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, which was announced recently by the federal Department of Energy.
The Governors hope to receive part of the $7 billion promised by the Department Energy to foster the growth of clean energy. The Department of Energy has stated that it would be announcing plans to choose between six and 10 hubs for funding, with applications to be received in April of 2023. North Dakota will commence that application process through the University of Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center. Both states aim to work alongside tribal nations and invite other states to join them in their work.
Following the Lead of Solar Energy
The North Dakota and Minnesota governments feel that it is about time that hydrogen incentives caught up with solar ones. The federal solar tax credit has been a key incentive for the solar sector. Aimed to offset the initial cost of going solar, it allows homeowners to claim 30% of the total installation costs of home solar projects. Some states also have solar incentives. A few of the best in terms of solar energy tax incentives are New York, Rhode Island, and Iowa. Texans also enjoy tax breaks, but of a different nature. There is no statewide net energy metering system that allows customers to feed the energy created by their panels back to the grid (in exchange for energy bill credits). However, specific cities, utility companies, and municipalities do offer various local incentives. Sometimes, these rebates are higher than those which are offered in other states.
How Will Hydrogen Hubs Affect Homeowners?
The development of clean hydrogen will reduce long-term costs for homeowners and businesses. It will have many additional benefits, however. These include the creation of employment, the reduction of greenhouse emissions, and the promotion of urban economic and rural development. The Heartland Hydrogen Hub will take on various clean hydrogen projects from various energy sources. One of the most exciting things about the switch to hydrogen is that it does not involve large costs for homeowners. Another of its benefits is that hydrogen fuel cells do not produce greenhouse gases. This means that they can play a big role in helping the nation achieve the goals set out in the Paris 15 Agreement. Hydrogen-based fuels are additionally more powerful and energy-efficient than fossil fuels. Their cells are additionally extremely fast to charge. They can be fully recharged in less than five minutes. These cells do not produce noise pollution, unlike other forms of renewable energy like wind energy.
The Governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, and the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the Heartland Hydrogen Hub. They hope to receive part of the sizeable grant promised by the Department Energy to foster the growth of clean energy. If they are successful, their respective states will benefit in many ways, including in terms of employment generation.