Archive:May 2021

1
Oregon Passes Law to Explore Opportunities for Renewable Hydrogen Development
2
Hydrogen Rising — Fuel Cells & Beyond: Cummins & the Hydrogen Economy
3
The Energizer – Volume 89
4
We Have ESG Down to the Letter
5
Hydrogen Rising — France: The Growth and Evolution of the Hydrogen Economy

Oregon Passes Law to Explore Opportunities for Renewable Hydrogen Development

By: Gabrielle E. Thompson and William H. Holmes

On 19 May 2021, Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 333 into law, which directs the Oregon Department of Energy to study the potential for development of renewable hydrogen production and use in Oregon. The results of the study are due to the Legislature by 15 September 2022.

Under the new law, the study will evaluate the benefits, as well as any barriers, to the production and use of renewable hydrogen in Oregon. The study will utilize existing data, studies, or other publicly available materials to analyze how “renewable hydrogen may support existing renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction policies and goals in Oregon.”1

Specifically, the study will identify the total hydrogen volume currently used each year in Oregon by various industries and the potential applications of renewable hydrogen in Oregon by 2030 by sectors such as transportation, industry, electricity generation, and energy storage. The study will also include an assessment of the potential for using renewable hydrogen in conjunction with other renewable electricity generation to increase resiliency or to provide flexible loads.

Additionally, the study will look at the forecasted costs of renewable hydrogen and how those costs may affect its adoption in Oregon. Finally, the study will consider and identify any technological, policy, commercial, or economic barriers to the adoption of renewable hydrogen in Oregon.

The study represents an important first step in determining the opportunities for developing renewable hydrogen production and development in Oregon, which has adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard that requires 50 percent of the electricity Oregonians use come from renewable sources by 2040. Renewable hydrogen is another potential source that could be used to meet those renewable energy requirements.

The bill, which was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Lee Beyer (D – Springfield), received a unanimous vote in favor by the House Energy and Environment Committee and received bipartisan support from Representative Helm (D – Washington County) and Representative Brock-Smith (R – Port Orford), who carried the bill to the House floor where it passed unanimously.

The bill was drafted by Renewable Hydrogen Alliance (RHA), a trade association based in Portland, Oregon, with more than 70 members in the United States and worldwide dedicated to the mission of using renewable electricity to create clean fuels.


1Senate Bill (SB) 333 Enrolled (2021).

Hydrogen Rising — Fuel Cells & Beyond: Cummins & the Hydrogen Economy

Hydrogen Rising co-hosts Sandra Safro and David Wochner welcome to the podcast Traci Kraus, Director of Government Relations for Cummins Inc., to discuss Cummins’ role in the development of the hydrogen economy, the opportunities and applications Cummins sees on the horizon, and the chances for advancement of the U.S. hydrogen industry on Capitol Hill and in the new Biden Administration.

The Energizer – Volume 89

By: Buck B. EndemannDaniel S. CohenMolly K. BarkerNatalie J. ReidMatthew P. ClarkNathan C. HoweOretha Manu

There is a lot of buzz around clean technology, distributed energy resources (DERs), microgrids, and other technological innovations in renewable energy and clean transport industries, and how these developments can contribute to solving longstanding environmental justice issues. As these innovations develop, energy markets will undergo substantial changes to which consumers and industry participants alike will need to adapt and leverage. Every other week, K&L Gates’ The Energizer will highlight emerging issues or stories relating to the use of DERs, energy storage, emerging technologies, hydrogen, and other innovations driving the energy industry forward.

IN THIS ISSUE: 

  • Hydrostor Receives Funding for Utility-Scale A-CAES Facility
  • Southern Utilities Reshuffle Renewable Energy Priorities
  • PJM Suggets Modified MOPR Provisions to Address State Clean Energy Policies
  • FERC Holds Technical Conference on Electrification and the Grid of the Future
  • Ford Invests in EV Battery Manufacturer Start-Up

We Have ESG Down to the Letter

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We can evaluate and advise your business from E to S to G.

For more on our ESG practice, please click here.

Hydrogen Rising — France: The Growth and Evolution of the Hydrogen Economy

France was among the first nations to issue a national hydrogen plan and recently has taken significant steps to continue to support the growth of a hydrogen economy. In this episode, Hydrogen Rising co-host Sandi Safro discusses these developments with K&L Gates’ European colleagues Mélanie Bruneau and Antoine de Rohan Chabot, including France’s efforts to increase the use of hydrogen in the transportation sector and the development of regulatory frameworks around certificates of origin and traceability.

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