Policy & Socio-Economics

Many factors to be appropriately addressed in moving towards energy sustainability are examined. These include harnessing sustainable energy sources utilizing sustainable energy carriers increasing efficiency reducing environmental impact and improving socioeconomic acceptability. The latter factor includes community involvement and social acceptability economic affordability and equity lifestyles land use and aesthetics. Numerous illustrations demonstrate measures consistent with the approach put forward and options for energy sustainability and the broader objective of sustainability. Energy sustainability is of great importance to overall sustainability given the pervasiveness of energy use its importance in economic development and living standards and its impact on the environment.

Renewable hydrogen production has an important role in global decarbonization. However when coupled with intermittent and variable sources such as wind or PV electrolyzers are subjected to part-load and dynamic operation. This can lead to low utilization factors and faster degradation of the electrolyzers and affect the specific hydrogen cost. The design and sizing of such electrolysis systems are fundamental to minimize costs. In this study several configurations of an electrolysis system producing green hydrogen from a 39 MWwind farm are compared. The effects of both the size of the plant and the number of separated groups into which it is divided are investigated. Dividing the plant into two separated groups resulted to be enough to increase hydrogen production; a further increase in the number of groups didn't produce significant differences. The most profitable configurations resulted that with one or two groups depending on the hydrogen selling price.

Across the globe energy production and usage cause the greatest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which are the key driver of climate change. Therefore countries around the world are aggressively striving to convert to a clean energy regime by altering the ways and means of energy production. Hydrogen is a frontrunner in the race to net-zero carbon because it can be produced using a diversity of feedstocks has versatile use cases and can help ensure energy security. While most current hydrogen production is highly carbon-intensive advances in carbon capture renewable energy generation and electrolysis technologies could help drive the production of low-carbon hydrogen. However significant challenges such as the high cost of production a relatively small market size and inadequate infrastructure need to be addressed before the transition to a hydrogen-based economy can be made. This review presents the state of hydrogen demand challenges in scaling up low-carbon hydrogen possible solutions for a speedy transition and a potential course of action for nations.

Focusing on technological innovation and convergence is crucial for utilizing hydrogen energy an emerging infrastructure area. This research paper analyzes the extent of technological capabilities in a region that could accelerate the occurrence of technological convergence in the fields related to hydrogen energy through the use of triadic patents their citation information and their regional information. The results of the Bayesian spatial model indicate that the active exchange of diverse original technologies could facilitate technological convergence in the region. On the other hand it is difficult to achieve regional convergence with regard to radical technology. The findings could shed light on the establishment of an R&D strategy for hydrogen technologies. This study could contribute to the dissemination and utilization of hydrogen technologies for sustainable industrial development.

Green hydrogen is becoming an increasingly important energy supply source worldwide. The great potential for the use of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source makes it an attractive energy carrier. In this paper we discuss the potential of producing green hydrogen in Jordan. Aqaba located in the south of Jordan was selected to study the potential for producing green hydrogen due to its proximity to a water source (i.e. the Red Sea). Two models were created for two electrolyzer types using MATLAB. The investigated electrolyzers were alkaline water (ALK) and polymeric electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. The first model was used to compare the required capacity of the PV solar system using ALK and PEM from 2022 to 2025 depending on the learning curves for the development of these technologies. In addition this model was used to predict the total investment costs for the investigated electrolyzers. Then a techno-economic model was constructed to predict the feasibility of using this technology by comparing the use of a PV system and grid electricity as sources for the production of hydrogen. The net present value (NPV) and levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) were used as indicators for both models. The environmental effect according to the reduction of CO2 emissions was also taken into account. The annual production of hydrogen was 70.956 million kg. The rate of hydrogen production was 19.3 kg/s and 1783 kg/s for ALK and PEM electrolyzers respectively. The LCOH was 4.42 USD/kg and 3.13 USD/kg when applying electricity from the grid and generated by the PV system respectively. The payback period to cover the capital cost of the PV system was 11 years of the project life with a NPV of USD 441.95 million. Moreover CO2 emissions can be reduced by 3042 tons/year by using the PV as a generation source instead of fossil fuels to generate electricity. The annual savings with respect to the reduction of CO2 emissions was USD 120135.

Renewable energy supply is essential for carbon neutrality; however technologies aiming to optimally utilize renewable energy sources remain insufficient. Seasonal variability in renewable energy is a key issue which many studies have attempted to overcome through operating systems and energy storage. Currently hydrogen is the only technology that can solve this seasonal storage problem. In this study the amount of hydrogen required to circumvent the seasonal variability in renewable energy supply in Korea was quantified. Spatiotemporal analysis was conducted using renewable energy resource maps and power loads. It was predicted that 50% of the total power demand in the future will be met using solar and wind power and a scenario was established based on the solar-to-wind ratio. It was found that the required hydrogen production differed by approximately four-times depending on the scenarios highlighting the importance of supplying renewable energy at an appropriate ratio. Spatially wind power was observed to be unsuitable for the physical transport of hydrogen because it has a high potential at mountain peaks and islands. The results of this study are expected to aid future hydrogen research and solve renewable energy variability problems.

Developing a thriving hydrogen industry will depend on public and community support. Past research mainly focusing on the acceptance of hydrogen fuelling stations and cars suggests that people generally support hydrogen energy technology (HET). Few studies have however considered how people think about other components of the hydrogen supply chain (i.e. technologies required to make store transport and use hydrogen). Moreover there has been limited research investigating how people interpret and develop beliefs about HET after being presented with technical information. This paper attempts to address these research gaps by presenting the findings from four face-to-face focus group discussions conducted in Australia. The findings suggest that people have differing views about HET which depends on the type of technology and these views influence levels of support. The study also revealed concerns about a range of other factors that have yet to be considered in hydrogen acceptance research (e.g. perceived water use efficiency and indirect benefits). The findings highlight the value of qualitative research for identifying salient beliefs that shape attitudes towards HET and provide recommendations for future research and how to effectively communicate with the public and communities about an emerging hydrogen industry.

South Korea ranking ninth among the largest energy consumers and seventh in carbon dioxide emissions from 2016 to 2021 faces challenges in energy security and climate change mitigation. The primary challenge lies in transitioning from fossil fuel dependency to a more sustainable and diversified energy portfolio while meeting the growing energy demand for continued economic growth. This necessitates fostering innovation and investment in the green energy sector. This study examines the potential impact of green energy expansion (through integrating renewable energy and hydrogen production) and gas import reduction on South Korea’s economic growth using a system dynamics approach. The findings indicate that increasing investment in green energy can result in significant growth rates ranging from 7% to 35% between 2025 and 2040. Under the expansion renewable energy scenario (A) suggests steady but sustainable economic growth in the long term while the gas import reduction scenario (B) displays a potential for rapid economic growth in the short term with possible instability in the long term. The total production in Scenario B is USD 2.7 trillion in 2025 and will increase to USD 4.8 trillion by 2040. Scenario C which combines the effects of both Scenarios A and B results in consistently high economic growth rates over time and a substantial increase in total production by 2035–2040 from 20% to 46%. These findings are critical for policymakers in South Korea as they strive for sustainable economic growth and transition to renewable energy.

Hydrogen may play a significant part in sustainable energy transition. This paper discusses the sociotechnical interactions that are driving and hindering development of hydrogen value chains in Norway. The study is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. A multi-level perspective (MLP) is deployed to discuss how exogenous trends and uncertainties interact with processes and strategies in the national energy system and how this influences the transition potential associated with Norwegian hydrogen production. We explore different transition pathways towards a low-emission society in 2050 and find that Norwegian hydrogen production and its deployment for decarbonization of maritime and heavy-duty transport decarbonisation of industry and flexibility services may play a crucial role. Currently the development is at a branching point where national coordination is crucial to unlock the potential. The hybrid approach provides new knowledge on underlying system dynamics and contributes to the discourse on pathways in transition studies.

This net zero investment roadmap summarises government’s hydrogen policies and available investment opportunities.