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Division of Energy and Innovation

The Hydrogen Economy Program

  • Applications

    Open until start date or class full. Hydrogen Economy Program Application

  • Pricing

    Complete Program: $2,970 | One Badge: $1,100

  • Schedule

    Hydrogen Economy Starts: August 19th, Ends: November 13th

    Weekly Synchronous Sessions, Mondays, 6:00-7:00 pm, CT

Program Overview

With the energy industry going through dynamic transition, energy professionals – current and future – need to be informed and equipped to meet challenges of today and tomorrow. The Hydrogen Economy is an essential program that provides key insights about this key component of the evolving global energy system. Designed and presented by industry leaders and accomplished faculty from the University of Houston, the program offers a unique balance of industrial expertise and academic rigor.

The Hydrogen Economy is offered jointly by the University of Houston and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Successful candidates will receive digital badges from UH Energy and certificates from AIChE for each of the three course modules.

Alche Academy

Informational Webinar

Would you like more information in real time? We will have an informational webinar Monday July 29, 2024, 10:00-10:30 am, US Central Time. In this event you will learn about the overall structure and contents of The Hydrogen Economy program, and you will meet some of the instructors.

Please join us! The Hydrogen Economy Informational Webinar Registration

Why This Program?

The energy transition is in progress, and the world is grappling with the energy trilemma: How can we supply energy that is affordable, secure and reliable, and environmentally responsible, for everyone? There is no single solution to this formidable challenge. But hydrogen is a key component of the most credible sustainable energy scenarios, with significant growth projected for the global energy system over the next 30 - 50 years.

Hydrogen is currently used heavily in the process industries, and it is seen as a significant future replacement option for the fossil fuels that are now used in power generation, transportation, and industry. However, most hydrogen today is produced from fossil energy sources. It will need to be decarbonized if it is to take its place as a dominant player in sustainable energy.

Our interactive, online educational program shares insights into the technology, economics, policy, and business drivers and barriers for hydrogen, both in the short term and in the long term. It examines hydrogen’s production, transportation, safety, use, and commercial opportunities, and considers both onshore and offshore applications. It also includes real time review meetings with instructors, and a capstone project to consolidate the learnings, to better equip students with skills, knowledge and expertise to thrive in the hydrogen economy.

Hydrogen growth chart

Up to 10-fold growth in hydrogen demand is projected if adopted as an energy vector to decarbonize heavy duty transportation and other difficult-to-decarbonize industry sectors. 1-3

Who should attend?

The Hydrogen Economy Program caters to two distinct groups:

  • Industry Professionals: Those already in the energy industries are seeing significant changes almost daily. The Hydrogen Economy Program provides new information, new insights, and new skills for professionals to help them manage new demands and be a valuable part of the energy transition.
  • For Future Energy Professionals: This program is ideal for students preparing themselves for a successful energy career and professional life. The Hydrogen Economy Program provides a unique perspective and skillset, giving students a competitive edge, understanding, and competence as they enter the energy marketplace.

Enroll Today

Program Pricing

INDIVIDUAL BADGE PRICE:

$1,100

EACH

COMPLETE PROGRAM PRICE (3 Badge Program):

$2,970

 Discounted price of $2,770 for AlChE Members and UH Alumni

Schedule

The Fall 2024 cohort of The Hydrogen Economy is a combined synchronous/asynchronous package. The synchronous (real time) segments are weekly 1-hour Zoom meetings, 6:00-7:00 pm US Central Time, on Monday evenings unless holidays or other scheduling factors dictate otherwise. These sessions include overviews, updates, course guidance, and Q&A. The first synchronous segment is an orientation session, which comes at the start of Badge 1 (Hydrogen Production Badge). The other weekly synchronous segments are for review of assigned asynchronous material and for Q&A.

The asynchronous segments consist of recordings, lecture notes, and pre-read documents. These are to be reviewed and studied between the weekly synchronous sessions. There are 2 x 2½-hour asynchronous sessions per week, together with weekly quizzes.

Dates for the synchronous segments are:

Orientation Session: August 19

Badge 1 - Hydrogen Production: August 26 | September 4* | September 9

Badge 2 - Hydrogen Transportation, Safety & Use : September 23 | September 30 | October 7

Badge 3 - Commercial Opportunity for Hydrogen: October 21 | October 28 | November 4† | November 6†* | November 13†*

*Wednesday Session

†Capstone project session. Additional synchronous sessions may be needed for project reviews.

All dates are subject to change.

Credentialing Overview

This micro-credentialing program delivers a multi-disciplinary understanding of challenges and solutions involved in developing a viable hydrogen economy. It is taught by world-class instructors, including leaders from industry and the marketplace and accomplished faculty from the University of Houston, the Energy University, in the Energy Capital of the World.

The program is offered in 15-hour modules, each module taking place over a three-week period. Digital badges are awarded for each module, and a set of three badges earns a “Silver Belt” from UH Energy. Successful students will also receive a certificate of completion from AIChE.

The Hydrogen Economy is a part of UH Energy's Sustainable Energy Development portfolio. The badges and belts provide a permanent record, endorsed by UH Energy and the University of Houston, that can be made a part of your resume to credential your new skills.

Silver Belt

This Silver Belt program builds upon the introduction to the energy transition given in the Bronze Belt in Sustainable Energy Development. It provides a deeper look at hydrogen – one of the most promising vehicles for decarbonizing the global energy system. The three badges explore hydrogen production, hydrogen transportation, safety and use, and the commercial opportunity for hydrogen. A capstone project is included, to consolidate the multidisciplinary learnings of this exciting new program.

SED silver hydrogen economy belt
SED silver hydrogen production badge
SED silver hydrogen transport badge
SED silver hydrogen commercial hydrogen badge

Instructors

UH INSTRUCTORS

  • Greg Bean

    Greg Bean

    Executive Director of the Gutierrez Energy Management Institute, Bauer College of Business, University of Houston

  • Dr. Birol Dindoruk

    Dr. Birol Dindoruk

    American Association of Drilling Engineers Endowed Professor, University of Houston

  • Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti

    Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti

    Vice President of Energy and Innovation, University of Houston

  • Charles McConnell

    Charles McConnell

    Executive Director, Center for Carbon Management in Energy, University of Houston

  • ram

    Dr. Ram Seetharam

    Energy Center Officer, Hydrogen Program Lead, University of Houston

  • Dr. Joe Powell

    Dr. Joe Powell

    Founding Executive Director, Energy Transition Institute, University of Houston

INDUSTRY INSTRUCTORS

  • Nigel Jenvey

    Nigel Jenvey

    Vice President of Energy Transition Project Development at Baker Hughes

  • Andy Steinhubl

    Andy Steinhubl

    Chairman of the Board, Center for Houston’s Future (CFH)

  • brian

    Brian Maxwell

    Founder and CEO, Green Hydrogen International

  • cortes

    Tim Cortes

    Chief Technology Officer, Plug

  • olga

    Dr. Olga Marina

    Leader, High Temperature Steam Electrolysis

  • kathy

    Dr. Katherine (Kathy) Ayers

    Vice President of R&D, Nel Hydrogen US

  • placeholder

    Paul Munsterman

    Director of Business Development, Large Projects at Linde

Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this program, participants will be able to understand:

  • Key characteristics and drivers for hydrogen as the decarbonization fuel of choice
  • Fundamentals for the existing hydrogen market, and how it is poised to change
  • Policy and strategy: Critical factors in building The Hydrogen Economy
  • Hydrogen as a means for transporting and storing renewable energy
  • Current and emerging options for producing hydrogen, including offshore options
  • Basics of hydrogen safety
  • Technical options for storing and transporting hydrogen, including decision factors
  • Fuel cells and their roles in transportation, in the electric grid, and in domestic and commercial power supply
  • Hydrogen fueled vehicles – from forklifts, trains and ships to aircraft
  • Hydrogen as a fuel to decarbonize industry
  • Trade-offs for use of hydrogen vs. electrification vs. advanced renewable hydrocarbon fuels as vectors for decarbonization

Credentialing Program Prerequisites

Either:

  • Rising senior in a bachelor’s degree program or graduate student; business, engineering, or technology preferred.
  • Industry professional

Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, we only accept credit card payments.

This program is presented as a combined synchronous/asynchronous package. Most of the content is provided asynchronously using recordings. The synchronous sessions provide real-time interaction with instructors and other learners.

Yes. Each week in Badge 1 and Badge 2 you will have an online multiple-choice test, and you will have to achieve a passing grade to proceed to the next week. If you do not pass on the first attempt, you can review the course material and retake the test as many times as you wish. In Badge 3, you will be graded on your Capstone Project.

The asynchronous material will be available to you for the duration of the course. The weekly synchronous sessions will also be recorded, and you will be able to view the recordings at your convenience. However, we strongly recommend that you attend the synchronous sessions, as the live interaction with instructors and other students is an important instructional component.

No. However, the later badges build on the content of the earlier ones, so it is much preferred to take the badges in the specified sequence.

If you miss a badge, you may be able to register for the badge by fully asynchronous delivery. The same registration process and fees apply whether you participate in real time, or if you only participate asynchronously.

Micro-credentials are certifications for mastery of specific topic areas or skill sets. To earn a micro-credential, you typically have to complete a certain number of activities, assessments, or projects related to the topic.

Digital badges (or ebadges) are a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or interest that can be earned in various learning environments. Digital badges are now commonly used as “digital transcripts,” and they can be incorporated in LinkedIn profiles. Many badge earners also display their badges through social media.

Use and Acceptance: Micro-credentials and digital badges are now widely accepted by employers as evidence of competency in specific skills. They have been in use for roughly ten years, notably in the IT arena, where IBM has been a leader. IBM needed to train personnel to support rapidly changing product needs. Rather than using extended training programs, they developed training for minimum skill sets and deployed this through online media. They awarded micro-credentials to successful candidates, and issued digital badges to certify the awards. Many other companies, large and small, are now using digital credentials, as are many academic institutions, including the University of Houston, and also Harvard, Cambridge, and a large number of other universities.

If you cannot find the information you need on the webpage or in the other FAQs, please contact:

References

  1. Hydrogen decarbonization pathways: Potential supply scenarios, The Hydrogen Council, January 2021.
  2. Mark Ruth et al., The Technical and Economic Potential of the H2@Scale Concept within the United States, NREL Report (2020).
  3. Hydrogen Roadmap Europe: A sustainable pathway for the European Energy Transition, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg: 2019.

Additional Program Resources

The Hydrogen Economy Information Session

  • Recording Date: July 29, 2024

    Information Session for The Hydrogen Economy held on Monday, July 29th

    Info Session Slides

Sustainable Energy Development Program Info Session

  • Recording Date: July 9, 2020

    Information Session for the Sustainable Energy Development Program held on Thursday, July 9th from 10:00am - 10:45am

    Info Session Slides

RECENT PROGRAM CAPSTONE PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

The Hydrogen Economy Program experience culminates with a capstone project. The project is based on developing and defending a business plan for a clean hydrogen start-up venture, demonstrating knowledge of the principles taught in the course. This is augmented by additional independent research related to the specific type of business model, technology deployment, and location chosen. Students can either work individually or form teams to evaluate their ideas, and then present them to the class and the panel of judges (aka the shark tank). Past cohorts have shared some wonderful ideas and creative presentations, and the whole activity was great fun. Below are summaries of the winning projects.

Fall 2024

  1. Extended Range Aerial Sensing with Hydrogen Powered Drones

    Team: Mohamad Elsayed, Jenni Rogers, Amir Eskafyan, Saiyid Kamal, Sada Iyer

  2. H2 Production from Wastewater Treatment Plants

    Team: Alberto Barud, Andres Dillon, Ozum Ozasaygili, Emo Obadiah

  3. Hydrogen Hub Alberta for Green Future

    Team: Smita Sangale, Shawna Yang, Billy Newby

Spring 2024

Fall 2023

Spring 2023

Fall 2022

Spring 2022

Summer 2021

Testimonials

  • Ricardo Chona -  Business Development Manager

    "Excellent program from UH, outstanding instructors and guest speakers. "

  • Kay McCall - Board member and advisor

    "Thank you to UH Energy for presenting the Hydrogen Economy program for those of us wanting more than a superficial view of the potential role of hydrogen in the energy transition. "

  • Ram Seetharam – Energy Center Officer & Hydrogen Lead at Univ of Houston

    "Completed Badge 1 on Hydrogen Production - highly recommend this micro-credential course at UH Energy."

  • Daniela Ismail, EIT, MBA – Zero Emission Business Development Manager/Women in Hydrogen 50

    "I´m so happy to have completed the Hydrogen Economy Silver Belt Program at the University of Houston."