US Assists Morocco With Green Hydrogen Plan — Wait, What?

This is news about a large clean-energy project overseas, not something that changes what's available to homeowners in the US. The US Trade and Development Agency gave a $5.7 million grant to help study plans for a large ammonia plant in Morocco. The ammonia will be made using "green hydrogen" — hydrogen split from water using electricity, rather than the usual method of pulling it from natural gas. If the electricity comes from wind or solar, as Morocco has plenty of both, the whole process avoids fossil fuels.

The grant funds a study of electrolyzer equipment (machines that split water into hydrogen and oxygen) made by Electric Hydrogen, a Massachusetts company that has also raised money from Microsoft, Amazon, and other large investors, plus a separate $46.3 million US Department of Energy grant for its Massachusetts factory. The Morocco plant is part of a much bigger $87 billion national plan to build green hydrogen and ammonia projects for export to Europe and elsewhere.

None of this changes rebates, tax credits, or upgrade options for a US home. It is a sign that hydrogen and clean-energy technology investment keeps growing internationally, including from US companies and even the current administration, despite the pullback in some US clean-energy policy. For homeowners, it has no direct effect on programs, prices, or equipment available for house upgrades.