Fugitive Hydrogen Emissions in a Future Hydrogen Economy

There is an increasing body of evidence that leakage of hydrogen to the atmosphere will have an indirect warming effect on the climate and so should be minimised.
This study investigates and quantifies the current understanding of potential hydrogen emissions in the different sectors across a future hydrogen value-chain. It shows that there are some key areas in production, distribution and end-use where there could potentially be significant leaks of hydrogen to the atmosphere. In some of these areas there are clear mitigation options, while with others the options are less clear due to uncertainty in either data or future technology development.
The report recommends further research and development to reduce the main leak pathways and additional evidence gathering in key areas where there is currently inadequate data to make accurate predictions.
The study was commissioned by BEIS and conducted by the Frazer-Nash consultancy.