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Green Hydrogen: the Holy Grail of Decarbonisation? An Analysis of the Technical and Geopolitical Implications of the Future Hydrogen Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Rossana Scita

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei)

  • Pier Paolo Raimondi

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei)

  • Michel Noussan

    (Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei)

Abstract
Hydrogen is currently enjoying a renewed and widespread momentum in the energy market. In the last years, demand for hydrogen has substantially increased worldwide, with several countries developing hydrogen national strategies, and private companies investing in the development of hydrogen related projects. Green hydrogen’s environmental sustainability and versatility contribute to its representation as the holy grail of decarbonisation. This working paper challenges this definition, by analysing the historical process which contributed to hydrogen’s rise, showing the current uses of hydrogen and the major obstacles to the implementation of a green hydrogen economy, and assessing the geopolitical implications of a future hydrogen society. Particularly, the paper shows that the hydrogen economy is still far from becoming reality. Even though investments in green hydrogen technologies and projects have increased over the last decade, there still remains a high number of unresolved issues, relating to technical challenges and geopolitical implications. Nonetheless, a clean hydrogen economy offers promising opportunities not only to fight climate change, but also to redraw geopolitical relations between states. The energy transition is already taking place, with renewable energies gradually eroding the global energy system based on fossil fuels. A global transformation, set in motion by the need to decarbonise the energy system, will have the potential to redraw international alliances and conflicts. In this context, hydrogen may play a crucial role. By 2050, hydrogen could indeed meet up to 24% of the world’s energy needs, thus highly influencing the geopolitical landscape. In this regard, the choice over which pathway to take for the creation of hydrogen value chains will have a huge geopolitical impact, resulting in new dependencies and rivalries between states. Conclusively, if national governments are willing to spur the emergence of a green hydrogen economy, they should heavily invest in research and development, encourage the development of a clean hydrogen value chain, and promote common international standards. Moreover, they should also take into account hydrogen’s geopolitical implications. If the hydrogen economy is well-managed, it could indeed increase energy security, diversify the economy, and strengthen partnerships with third countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Rossana Scita & Pier Paolo Raimondi & Michel Noussan, 2020. "Green Hydrogen: the Holy Grail of Decarbonisation? An Analysis of the Technical and Geopolitical Implications of the Future Hydrogen Economy," Working Papers 2020.13, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    • Handle: RePEc:fem:femwpa:2020.13
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Azadnia, Amir Hossein & McDaid, Conor & Andwari, Amin Mahmoudzadeh & Hosseini, Seyed Ehsan, 2023. "Green hydrogen supply chain risk analysis: A european hard-to-abate sectors perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    2. Lopez, Gabriel & Galimova, Tansu & Fasihi, Mahdi & Bogdanov, Dmitrii & Breyer, Christian, 2023. "Towards defossilised steel: Supply chain options for a green European steel industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    3. Gordon, Joel A. & Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Nabavi, Seyed Ali, 2022. "Homes of the future: Unpacking public perceptions to power the domestic hydrogen transition," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    4. Dillman, K.J. & Heinonen, J., 2022. "A ‘just’ hydrogen economy: A normative energy justice assessment of the hydrogen economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    5. Michel Noussan & Pier Paolo Raimondi & Rossana Scita & Manfred Hafner, 2020. "The Role of Green and Blue Hydrogen in the Energy Transition—A Technological and Geopolitical Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-26, December.
    6. Doyeon Lee & Keunhwan Kim, 2021. "Research and Development Investment and Collaboration Framework for the Hydrogen Economy in South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-28, September.
    7. Gordon, Joel A. & Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Nabavi, Seyed Ali, 2023. "Socio-technical barriers to domestic hydrogen futures: Repurposing pipelines, policies, and public perceptions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    8. Umair Yaqub Qazi, 2022. "Future of Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel for Next-Generation Industrial Applications; Challenges and Expected Opportunities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-40, June.
    9. Farah Mneimneh & Hasan Ghazzawi & Mohammad Abu Hejjeh & Matteo Manganelli & Seeram Ramakrishna, 2023. "Roadmap to Achieving Sustainable Development via Green Hydrogen," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-25, January.
    10. Sadik-Zada, Elkhan Richard & Santibanez Gonzalez, Ernesto DR & Gatto, Andrea & Althaus, Tomasz & Quliyev, Fuad, 2023. "Pathways to the hydrogen mobility futures in German public transportation: A scenario analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 384-392.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Green Hydrogen; Decarbonization; Energy; Energy Policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q4 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • O14 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Industrialization; Manufacturing and Service Industries; Choice of Technology

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