Policy & Socio-Economics

Considering the clean renewable and ecologically friendly characteristics of hydrogen gas as well as its high energy density hydrogen energy is thought to be the most potent contender to locally replace fossil fuels. The creation of a sustainable energy system is currently one of the critical industrial challenges and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution associated with appropriate safe storage techniques are key strategies to implement systems based on hydrogen technologies. The recent progress made possible through nanotechnology incorporation either in terms of innovative methods of hydrogen storage or production methods is a guarantee of future breakthroughs in energy sustainability. This manuscript addresses concisely and originally the importance of including nanotechnology in both green electroproduction of hydrogen and hydrogen storage in solid media. This work is mainly focused on these issues and eventually intends to change beliefs that hydrogen technologies are being imposed only for reasons of sustainability and not for the intrinsic value of the technology itself. Moreover nanophysics and nano-engineering have the potential to significantly change the paradigm of conventional hydrogen technologies.

The energy production market based on hydrogen technologies is an innovative solution that will allow the industry to achieve climate neutrality in the future in Poland and in the world. The paper presents the idea of using hydrogen as a modern energy carrier and devices that in cooperation with renewable energy sources produce the so-called green hydrogen and the applicable legal acts that allow for the implementation of the new technology were analyzed. Energy transformation is inevitable and according to reports on good practices in European Union countries hydrogen and the hydrogen value chain (production transport and transmission storage use in transport and energy) have wide potential. Thanks to joint projects and subsidies from the EU initiatives supporting hydrogen technologies are created such as hydrogen clusters and hydrogen valleys and EU and national strategic programs set the main goals. Poland is one of the leaders in hydrogen production both in the world and in Europe. Domestic tycoons from the energy refining and chemical industries are involved in the projects. Eight hydrogen valleys that have recently been created in Poland successfully implement the assumptions of the “Polish Hydrogen Strategy until 2030 with a perspective until 2040” and “Energy Policy of Poland until 2040” which are in line with the assumptions of the most important legal acts of the EU including the European Union’s energy and climate policy the Green Deal and the Fit for 55 Package. The review of the analysis of the development of hydrogen technologies in Poland shows that Poland does not differ from other European countries. As part of the assumptions of the European Hydrogen Strategy and the trend related to the management of energy surpluses electrolyzers with a capacity of at least 6 GW will be installed in Poland in 2020–2024. It is also assumed that in the next phase planned for 2025–2030 hydrogen will be a carrier in the energy system in Poland. Poland as a member of the EU is the creator of documents that take into account the assumptions of the European Union Commission and systematically implement the assumed goals. The strategy of activities supporting the development of hydrogen technologies in Poland and the value chain includes very extensive activities related to among others obtaining hydrogen using hydrogen in transport energy and industry developing human resources for the new economy supporting the activities of hydrogen valley stakeholders building hydrogen refueling stations and cooperation among Poland Slovakia and the Czech Republic as part of the HydrogenEagle project.

Globally a green hydrogen economy rush is underway and many companies investors governments and environmentalists consider it as an energy source that could foster the global energy transition. The enormous potential for hydrogen production for domestic use and export places Africa in the spotlight in the green hydrogen economy discourse. This discourse remains unsettled regarding how natural resources such as land and water can be sustainably utilized for such a resource-intensive project and what implications this would have. This review argues that green hydrogen production (GHP) in Africa has consequences where land resources (and their associated natural resources) are concerned. It discusses the current trends in GHP in Africa and the possibilities for reducing any potential pressures it may put on land and other resource use on the continent. The approach of the review is interpretive and hinges on answering three questions concerning the what why and how of GHP and its land consequences in Africa. The review is based on 41 studies identified from Google Scholar and sources identified via snowballed recommendations from experts. The GHP implications identified relate to land and water use mining-related land stress and environmental ecological and land-related socioeconomic consequences. The paper concludes that GHP may not foster the global energy transition as is being opined by many renewable energy enthusiasts but rather could help foster this transition as part of a greener energy mix. It notes that African countries that have the potential for GHP require the institutionalization of or a change in their existing approaches to land-related energy governance systems in order to achieve success.

Hydrogen energy technologies are envisioned to play a critical supporting role in global decarbonisation. While low-carbon hydrogen is primarily targeted for reducing industrial emissions alongside decarbonising parts of the transport sector environmental benefits could also be achieved in the residential context. Presently gasdependent countries such as Japan and the United Kingdom are assessing the feasibility of deploying hydrogen home appliances as part of their national energy strategies. However prospects for the transition will hinge on consumer acceptance alongside an array of other socio-technical factors. To support potential ambitions for large-scale and sustained technology diffusion this study advances a Unified Theory of Domestic Hydrogen Acceptance. Through an integrative comparative literature review targeting hydrogen and domestic energy studies the paper proposes a novel Domestic Hydrogen Acceptance Model (DHAM) which accounts for the cognitive and emotional dimensions of human perceptions. Through this dual interplay the proposed framework can increase the predictive power of hydrogen acceptance models.

The Global Hydrogen Review is an annual publication by the International Energy Agency that tracks hydrogen production and demand worldwide as well as progress in critical areas such as infrastructure development trade policy regulation investments and innovation. The report is an output of the Clean Energy Ministerial Hydrogen Initiative and is intended to inform energy sector stakeholders on the status and future prospects of hydrogen while also informing discussions at the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting organised by Japan. Focusing on hydrogen’s potentially major role in meeting international energy and climate goals the Review aims to help decision makers fine-tune strategies to attract investment and facilitate deployment of hydrogen technologies at the same time as creating demand for hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels. It compares real-world developments with the stated ambitions of government and industry. This year’s report includes a focus on demand creation for low-emission hydrogen. Global hydrogen use is increasing but demand remains so far concentrated in traditional uses in refining and the chemical industry and mostly met by hydrogen produced from unabated fossil fuels. To meet climate ambitions there is an urgent need to switch hydrogen use in existing applications to low-emission hydrogen and to expand use to new applications in heavy industry or long-distance transport.

As the world moves to clean renewable energy questions arise as to how best to produce and use hydrogen. Here we propose using hydrogen produced only by electrolysis with clean renewable electricity (green hydrogen). We then test the impact of producing such hydrogen intermittently versus continuously for steel and ammonia manufacturing and long-distance transport via fuel cells on the cost of matching electricity heat cold and hydrogen demand with supply and storage on grids worldwide. An estimated 79 32 and 91 Tg-H2/y of green hydrogen are needed in 2050 among 145 countries for steel ammonia and long-distance transport respectively. Producing and compressing such hydrogen for these processes may consume ~12.1% of the energy needed for end-use sectors in these countries after they transition to 100% wind-water-solar (WWS) in all such sectors. This is less than the energy needed for fossil fuels to power the same processes. Due to the variability of WWS electricity producing green hydrogen intermittently rather than continuously thus with electrolyzer use factors significantly below unity (0.2–0.65) may reduce overall energy costs with 100% WWS. This result is subject to model uncertainties but appears robust. In sum grid operators should incorporate intermittent green hydrogen production and use in planning.

In an era characterised by political instability economic uncertainty and mounting environmental pressures hydrogen fuel is being positioned as a critical piece of the global energy security and clean energy agenda. The policy push is noteworthy in the United Kingdom where the government is targeting industrial decarbonisation via hydrogen while exploring a potential role for hydrogen-fuelled home appliances. Despite the imperative to secure social acceptance for accelerating the diffusion of low-carbon energy technologies public perceptions of hydrogen homes remain largely underexplored by the researcher community. In response this analysis draws on extensive focus group data to understand the multi-dimensional nature of social acceptance in the context of the domestic hydrogen transition. Through an integrated mixed-methods multigroup analysis the study demonstrates that socio-political and market acceptance are strongly interlinked owing to a trust deficit in the government and energy industry coupled to underlying dissatisfaction with energy markets. At the community level hydrogen homes are perceived as a potentially positive mechanism for industrial regeneration and local economic development. Households consider short-term disruptive impacts to be tolerable provided temporary disconnection from the gas grid does not exceed three days. However to strengthen social acceptance clearer communication is needed regarding the spatial dynamics and equity implications of the transition. The analysis concludes that existing trust deficits will need to be overcome which entails fulfilling not only a ‘price promise’ on the cost of hydrogen appliances but also enacting a ‘price pledge’ on energy bills. These deliverables are fundamental to securing social acceptance for hydrogen homes.

As a reformist approach to low-carbon transitions green hydrogen is often promoted as an easy replacement for fossil fuels. This substitution narrative makes this technology compelling as it offers to reduce emissions while continuing the contemporary energy system. Using ‘sociotechnical imaginaries’ this paper explores the underlying political processes on what appears to be a mostly technical vision of green hydrogen. Analysis through expert interviews in Aotearoa New Zealand revealed two contrasting energy visions one emphasizing the technical role of green hydrogen in New Zealand's transition—the green hydrogen imaginary and the other which advocated for a future motivated by social change—the alternative energy imaginary. Comparing the tensions through a lens of hydrogen justice exposed the assumptions and exclusions present in the emerging green hydrogen imaginary. This paper argues that the technocratic business as usual approach of green hydrogen depoliticizes the social nature of energy and thus risks perpetuating inequalities and harms present in the current energy system. However these critiques also suggest that there is hope for green hydrogen to be reimagined in more ethical and just ways.

The 2016 Paris Agreement (UNFCCC Authors 2015) is the latest of initiative to create an international consensus on action to reduce GHG emissions. However the challenge of meeting its targets lies mainly in the intimate relationship between GHG emissions and energy production which in turn links to industry and economic growth. The Middle East and North African region (MENA) particularly those nations rich oil and gas (O&G) resources depend on these as a main income source. Persuading the region to cut down on O&G production or reduce its GHG emissions is hugely challenging as it is so vital to its economic strength. In this paper an alternative option is established by creating an economic link between GHG emissions measured as their CO2 equivalent (CO2e) and the earning of profits through the concept of Social Carbon Cost (SCC). The case study is a small coastal city in Libya where 6% of electricity is assumed to be generated from renewable sources. At times when renewable energy (RE) output exceeds the demand for power the surplus is used for powering the production of hydrogen by electrolysis thus storing the energy and creating an emission-free fuel. Two scenarios are tested based on short and long term SCCs. In the short term scenario the amount of fossil fuel energy saved matches the renewable energy produced which equates to the same amount of curtailed O&G production. The O&G-producing region can earn profits in two ways: (1) by cutting down CO2 emissions as a result of a reduction in O&G production and (2) by replacing an amount of fossil fuel with electrolytically-produced hydrogen which creates no CO2 emissions. In the short term scenario the value of SCC saved is nearly 39% and in the long term scenario this rose to 83%.

This current article discusses the technoeconomics (TE) of hydrogen generation transportation compression and storage in the Australian context. The TE analysis is important and a prerequisite for investment decisions. This study selected the Australian context due to its huge potential in green hydrogen but the modelling is applicable to other parts of the world adjusting the price of electricity and other utilities. The hydrogen generation using the most mature alkaline electrolysis (AEL) technique was selected in the current study. The results show that increasing temperature from 50 to 90 ◦C and decreasing pressure from 13 to 5 bar help improve electrolyser performance though pressure has a minor effect. The selected range for performance parameters was based on the fundamental behaviour of water electrolysers supported with literature. The levelised cost of hydrogen (LCH2 ) was calculated for generation compression transportation and storage. However the majority of the LCH2 was for generation which was calculated based on CAPEX OPEX capital recovery factor hydrogen production rate and capacity factor. The LCH2 in 2023 was calculated to be 9.6 USD/kgH2 using a base-case solar electricity price of 65–38 USD/MWh. This LCH2 is expected to decrease to 6.5 and 3.4 USD/kgH2 by 2030 and 2040 respectively. The current LCH2 using wind energy was calculated to be 1.9 USD/kgH2 lower than that of solar-based electricity. The LCH2 using standalone wind electricity was calculated to be USD 5.3 and USD 2.9 in 2030 and 2040 respectively. The LCH2 predicted using a solar and wind mix (SWM) was estimated to be USD 3.2 compared to USD 9.6 and USD 7.7 using standalone solar and wind. The LCH2 under the best case was predicted to be USD 3.9 and USD 2.1 compared to USD 6.5 and USD 3.4 under base-case solar PV in 2030 and 2040 respectively. The best case SWM offers 33% lower LCH2 in 2023 which leads to 37% 39% and 42% lower LCH2 in 2030 2040 and 2050 respectively. The current results are overpredicted especially compared with CSIRO Australia due to the higher assumption of the renewable electricity price. Currently over two-thirds of the cost for the LCH2 is due to the price of electricity (i.e. wind and solar). Modelling suggests an overall reduction in the capital cost of AEL plants by about 50% in the 2030s. Due to the lower capacity factor (effective energy generation over maximum output) of renewable energy especially for solar plants a combined wind- and solar-based electrolysis plant was recommended which can increase the capacity factor by at least 33%. Results also suggest that besides generation at least an additional 1.5 USD/kgH2 for compression transportation and storage is required.