Guidehouse Launches Building the Clean Hydrogen Economy Consortium

WASHINGTON – Feb. 25, 2022 – Guidehouse, a leading global provider of consulting services to public sector and commercial clients, today announced a new consortium, Building the Clean Hydrogen Economy, which has been working together since fall 2021. Led by Guidehouse, consortium members will work together to create and launch innovative pilot projects that use clean hydrogen to decarbonize heavy transport, increase renewables integration, and decrease emissions in the U.S. energy sector more broadly.

“Hydrogen offers incredible potential for decarbonizing some of society’s most challenging industries; however, little has been done in the way of considering technology, business models, and regulatory/policy issues together,” says Lisa Frantzis, partner in Guidehouse’s Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure (ES&I) segment. “We are thrilled to bring together some of the brightest industry players to develop truly innovative pilots that will advance the use of hydrogen and identify the most effective applications.”

The consortium’s working groups are currently conceptualizing three pilots: heavy duty transport in the Southwest U.S.; green ammonia production in NY; and integrated blue and green hydrogen for industrial, peaking power, ammonia, and heavy transport applications in the U.S. Gulf Coast, each of which could be a part of developing hydrogen hubs across the United States. The pilots have a well-defined business case and include the stimulation of clean hydrogen demand to drive an adequate, cost-competitive supply by 2025-2030. The consortium will focus on projects that can scale and be replicable for significant impact on decarbonization across the U.S.

“Hydrogen is a classic ‘chicken and egg’ situation. Consortium members fully understand that scalable business cases must address the development of markets just as much as the supply chain,” said Richard Shandross, consortium manager and associate director at Guidehouse.

Before the pilots launch, members will work to build partnerships with regional and global players across the private sector and gain commitments for engagement through memorandums of understanding (MOUs). The team will also apply for funding sources when available and as needed. 

Guidehouse will continue to guide the pilots through implementation and execution, providing analysis, and working to build relationships among members and industries.

To date, over 20 organizations have joined the consortium, including (but not limited to) Ameresco, AVANGRID, Bank of America, Citi, CF Industries, Chart Industries Inc., Con Edison of New York, Constellation, Cummins, Dentons, Exelon, Hyzon Motors USA, ITOCHU, Linde, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation, Navistar, New York Power Authority, Ørsted, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, Salt River Project (SRP), Sempra Infrastructure, and Walmart. The consortium is also in active discussions with the Port of Los Angeles and other hydrogen groups to assess additional stakeholder engagement.

“Guidehouse brings deep relationships with all the stakeholders in this new hydrogen marketplace and has the subject matter expertise to steer the consortium and launch these pilot projects,” says Jan Vrins, leader of Guidehouse’s ES&I segment. “Additionally, we have unique market and technology insights and have completed innovative and groundbreaking hydrogen engagements in Europe and internationally that can be leveraged in the U.S.”

“The market’s demand for a clean, scalable and dispatchable future energy source such as green hydrogen is something Ameresco is well positioned for through our Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and Green Electric Generating facilities across the country,” said Ameresco EVP, Mike Bakas. “We look forward to utilizing our core competencies to accelerate the growth of hydrogen in the market for the benefit of our clients and the environment.”

“We see a role for us to become a leader in the green hydrogen economy by building on our expertise as a leading renewables developer and operator," said Manuel Gonzalez, SVP and Chief of Staff to the CEO of AVANGRID. "AVANGRID’s utility territories are particularly rich with experts in the hydrogen technology industry, and we are collaborating with them to establish the Northeast as a “Green Hydrogen Valley” in the US, while directing investments towards economically and environmentally distressed communities."

“Hydrogen will play a key role in the transition to clean energy, but we are just beginning to unlock its full potential,” said Andy Sarantapoulas, Vice President Marketing and Product Management at Linde. “We are excited to join the Building the Clean Hydrogen Economy consortium, where we will contribute Linde’s leading hydrogen experience, technology and resources to help accelerate the use of clean hydrogen across multiple industries. It will take a great deal of collaboration between public and private parties to create the necessary framework to sustainably support the technology, infrastructure, funding and business models required and we look forward to playing an integral role.”

About Guidehouse’s Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure Segment
With more than 700 consultants, Guidehouse’s global Energy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure segment is the strongest in the industry. We are the go-to partner for leaders creating sustainable, resilient communities and infrastructure, serving as trusted advisors to utilities and energy companies, large corporations, investors, NGOs, and the public sector. We’ve solved big challenges with the world’s 60 largest electric, water, and gas utilities; the 20 largest independent power generators; five of the 10 largest oil and gas majors; the 20 largest gas distribution and pipeline companies; European governments; and the U.S. federal government’s civilian agencies involved in the country’s land, resources, and infrastructure. We combine our passion, expertise, and industry relationships to forge a resilient path toward sustainability for our clients. We turn vision into action by leading and de-risking the execution of big ideas and driving outcomes for our clients that enable them to reach their ambitions through transformation.

About Guidehouse 
Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. By combining our public and private sector expertise, we help clients address their most complex challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures focusing on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that help our clients outwit complexity and position them for future growth and success. The company has more than 12,000 professionals in over 50 locations globally. Guidehouse is a Veritas Capital portfolio company, led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets, and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit www.guidehouse.com.

About Ameresco
Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE: AMRC) is a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Our comprehensive portfolio includes energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions delivered to clients throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Ameresco’s sustainability services in support of clients’ pursuit of Net Zero include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure and the development, construction, and operation of distributed energy resources. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com. 

About AVANGRID
AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $39 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 7,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021 and 2022 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2022, AVANGRID ranked second within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2021 for the third consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

About Linde
Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2021 sales of $31 billion (€26 billion). We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain and protect our planet.

The company serves a variety of end markets including chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde's industrial gases are used in countless applications, from life-saving oxygen for hospitals to high-purity & specialty gases for electronics manufacturing, hydrogen for clean fuels and much more. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions. For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit www.linde.com.