Green Hydrogen: A Guide to Policy Making

Sectors and Themes
Energy
Scale
National
Expertise Level
Generalist
Practitioner
Resource Type
Guidance and Frameworks
Language
English
Developer or Source
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Green hydrogen can provide a link between growing and sustainable renewable electricity generation and the hard-to-electrify sectors. Hydrogen in general is a suitable energy carrier for applications remote from electricity grids or that require a high energy density, and it can serve as a feedstock for chemical reactions to produce a range of synthetic fuels and feedstocks. Overcoming the barriers and transitioning green hydrogen from a niche player to a widespread energy carrier will require dedicated policy in each of the stages of technology readiness, market penetration and market growth. An integrated policy approach is needed to overcome the initial resistance and reach a minimum threshold for market penetration, resting on four central pillars: building national hydrogen strategies, identifying policy priorities, establishing a governance system and enabling policies, and creating a system for guarantee of origin for green hydrogen.

This publication is the first of a series of briefs that aim to guide policy makers in the design and implementation of policy to support green hydrogen as one of the feasible methods of decarbonizing the energy sector. This guide is composed of three chapters. The first focuses on the status and drivers of green hydrogen and the barriers it faces. The second chapter explores the pillars of national policy making to support hydrogen, and the third presents the main policy recommendations in different segments of the green hydrogen value chain.

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