WVU Researchers Secure $15.8M for Innovative Hydrogen Production Projects to Boost Clean Energy in Appalachia.

West Virginia University (WVU) researchers have secured $15.8m funding for three research projects at the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at the university. The funding aligns with the DOE’s Hydrogen Shot goal, which aims to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen production to $1/kg. The projects aim to enhance the technology known as Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC), which converts water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis powered by electricity from renewable energy. Edward Sabolsky, a professor at the Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering, led one project with $9.3m to design a microwave-energy powered furnace for SOEC manufacturing, another with $4.5m to develop a “proton-conducting” SOEC capable of outperforming traditional “oxygen-conducted” SOECs. The third project is led by Wenyuan Li, an assistant professor at Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, focusing on manufacturing SOEC using “ultrafast high-temperature sintering” to reduce carbon emissions, energy consumption, and cost. The commercialization of this technology could result in job creation and economic growth as Appalachia aims to build a regional infrastructure for hydrogen generation.