In testimony to U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy, DNV GL’s Jennifer States presented her views on structures and systems that allow for collaborations to accelerate innovations to address the energy transition.

Jennifer States, director for Blue Economy at DNV GL, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy during its hearing on “From Lab to Market: Accelerating our Progress toward Economic Recovery and a Clean Energy Future.” The hearing considered two bills before the U.S. Congress, H.R. 3575 IMPACT for Energy Act, and the Energizing Technology Transfer Act, both of which are potential solutions for the Department of Energy to create an environment that enables collaborative environments that can help accelerate commercialization of new energy technologies.

“We are facing an incredible opportunity and critical need to accelerate the commercialization of clean energy technologies. We need to embrace this opportunity for economic and environmental reasons: to reduce emissions as well as to create sustainable clean energy jobs to propel the U.S. out of the economic crisis we face,” said Ms. States in her testimony. Partnerships and collaboration across public and private entities are critical to enable the necessary innovations and develop systematic approach to new technologies needed to address climate change effectively.

Ms. States’ testimony draws upon her experience directing projects for Washington Maritime Blue, a Cluster organization that is charged with implementing Washington State’s strategy for the Blue Economy. It is a non-profit partnership between public entities, private industry, community organizations, and research institutions to find solutions that cerate economic growth, healthy ecosystems and thriving communities. The proposed IMPACT for Energy Foundation aligns with the purpose of Washington Maritime Blue by fostering collaboration across sectors and industries and supporting research, technology development, and economic growth at a regional level.

Cluster organizations like Washington Maritime Blue provide the fundamental elements that foster this growth by identifying regional strengths and enabling a regional response. For example, its Joint Innovation Project for growing a “Maritime Hydrogen Ecosystem through Formic Acid Storage Pathways” taps into a broader pool of expertise, facilities and funding that is not possible with a single entity. The project is a public-private partnership to demonstrate the potential of Formic Acid as a Liquid Hydrogen Carrier by deploying a 1 MW mobile shore power Hydrogen system. No one organization is able to provide all of the elements required for this systematic project approach:

• Tacoma Power’s off-peak clean energy from hydropower will be utilized for electrolysis to produce zero-emission Hydrogen.
• The technology to capture Hydrogen and CO2 in the form of Formic Acid, which acts as a Liquid H2 Carrier for safer storage and transport, was initially developed by DNV GL and licensed to OCO, Inc . The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will provide conversion technology for Formic Acid to Hydrogen that can be utilized in a Fuel Cell for power generation.

“As demonstrated by Washington Maritime Blue and DNV GL’s joint innovation projects, a collaborative, cross-cutting approach to technology development and commercialization can create benefits and opportunities that are shared by many,” said Richard S. Barnes, region president for Energy North America at DNV GL. “The proposals discussed today will enable investment and innovation that can create new jobs, build communities, and accelerate the energy transition.”