8/25/23 - Part 3 - Santa Cruz Metro Board of Directors Meeting

Scott Brandt, a professor at UC Santa Cruz and interim COO of ARCHES, discusses the ARCHES project's goals, principles, and current status in his presentation. ARCHES, a nonprofit LLC, aims to bring clean, green hydrogen energy to California, focusing on developing a hydrogen market and economy. The project is a collaboration between the University of California, the State of California, the State Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Renewables 100 Policy Institute. ARCHES will administer funds but not directly implement projects, leaving that to their network of municipal and industry partners.ARCHES has applied for a $1.25 billion grant from the Department of Energy, with additional funding of around $13 billion from various sources. The initiative includes 39 project partners involved in hydrogen production, use, and mostly transportation. Their goal is to increase hydrogen production from 30 to 515 metric tons per day, focusing on sectors hard to decarbonize with electrification.Brandt emphasizes the importance of environmental justice, equity, economic leadership, workforce development, and market viability in the project. ARCHES is seen as a partnership between industry, national labs, state government, labor, and communities. The principles guiding ARCHES include statewide collaboration, exclusive use of renewable resources, community engagement, equity and justice, alignment with state interests, solution orientation, unbiased governance, and a multi-dimensional approach.ARCHES aims to establish a renewable clean hydrogen hub in California by 2030, targeting sectors like heavy industry, aviation, maritime, and agriculture, with immediate impacts expected in ports, power, and transportation. The project hopes to yield significant economic and health benefits, including job creation and reduced air pollution, estimated at $3 billion annually from reduced healthcare costs and improved air quality. Additionally, ARCHES allocates $380 million for community benefits and workforce development, aiming for broader regional and national impact in the future.Mr Brandt's CV: https://users.soe.ucsc.edu/~sbrandt/ARCHES website: https://archesh2.org/Some background on a controversial topic regarding ARCHES with links to more resources: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000018a-9b1f-d776-a3ce-ffff49d30000SC Metro meeting packet with graphics from Mr. Brandt's presentation: https://scmtd.com/images/department/board/archive/minutes/2023/2023.08.25-Regular-Board-Minutes.pdf