The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced grants to Colorado State University (CSU) and Boulder County to build infrastructure for electric-vehicle charging or fueling stations. Out of the total grant of $13.8m, $9m will be used to build three hydrogen fueling hubs linked to CSU campuses in Fort Collins, Denver and Pueblo. New Day Hydrogen will use CSU’s already-developed hydrogen fueling model to build these hubs, which will manufacture hydrogen at the site where it will be used to fuel truck fleets. The hubs will produce 200kg of hydrogen per day, enough to fuel five to 15 light-duty to heavy-duty trucks.
These microhubs can be built quickly, are small and require little space. Additionally, they are modular and can be expanded as demand for hydrogen increases. Seth Terry, CEO of New Day Hydrogen, describes the concept as “an on-ramp for hydrogen use by transit companies that want to make a conversion to green energy but don’t want to wait for the longer-term solution of how to transport large volumes of hydrogen.” The technology also has the potential for utility-scale use, with excess green power being stored as hydrogen.