Policy & Socio-Economics

The North Sea Offshore Grid concept has been envisioned as a promising alternative to: 1) ease the integration of offshore wind and onshore energy systems and 2) increase the cross-border capacity between the North Sea region countries at low cost. In this paper we explore the techno-economic benefits of the North Sea Offshore Grid using two case studies: a power-based offshore grid where only investments in power assets are allowed (i.e. offshore wind HVDC/HVAC interconnectors); and a power-and-hydrogen offshore grid where investments in offshore hydrogen assets are also permitted (i.e. offshore electrolysers new hydrogen pipelines and retrofitted natural gas pipelines). In this paper we present a novel methodology in which extensive offshore spatial data is analysed to define meaningful regions via data clustering. These regions are incorporated to the Integrated Energy System Analysis for the North Sea region (IESA-NS) model. In this optimization model the scenarios are run without any specific technology ban and under open optimization. The scenario results show that the deployment of an offshore grid provides relevant cost savings ranging from 1% to 4.1% of relative cost decrease (2.3 bn € to 8.7 bn €) in the power-based and ranging from 2.8% to 7% of relative cost decrease (6 bn € to 14.9 bn €) in the power-and-hydrogen based. In the most extreme scenario an offshore grid permits to integrate 283 GW of HVDC connected offshore wind and 196 GW of HVDC meshed interconnectors. Even in the most conservative scenario the offshore grid integrates 59 GW of HVDC connected offshore wind capacity and 92 GW of HVDC meshed interconnectors. When allowed the deployment of offshore electrolysis is considerable ranging from 61 GW to 96 GW with capacity factors of around 30%.

This paper evaluates the potential of grid services in France Italy Norway and Spain to provide an alternative income for electrolysers producing hydrogen from wind power. Grid services are simulated with each country's data for 2017 for energy prices grid services and wind power profiles from relevant wind parks. A novel metric is presented the value of curtailed hydrogen which is independent from several highly uncertain parameters such as electrolyser cost or hydrogen market price. Results indicate that grid services can monetise the unused spare capacity of electrolyser plants improving their economy in the critical deployment phase. For most countries up-regulation yields a value of curtailed hydrogen above 6 V/kg over 3 times higher than the EU's 2030 price target (without incentives). However countries with large hydro power resources such as Norway yield far lower results below 2 V/kg. The value of curtailed hydrogen also decreases with hydrogen production corresponding to the cases of symmetric and down-regulation.

The Heads of Terms for the Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement sets out the government’s proposal for the final hydrogen production business model design. It will form the basis of the Low Carbon Hydrogen Agreement the business model contract between the government appointed counterparty and a low carbon hydrogen producer.<br/>The business model will provide revenue support to hydrogen producers to overcome the operating cost gap between low carbon hydrogen and high carbon fuels. It has been designed to incentivise investment in low carbon hydrogen production and use and in doing so deliver the government’s ambition of up to 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

The geographical understanding of directionality in the literature on mission-oriented innovation systems is still underdeveloped. Therefore this article reflects on whether the allocation of funding for R&D activities to different places can direct innovation systems in space. A placebased approach to the allocation of funding and its effects on innovation systems is developed to analyze how the German national government allocates funding to the national innovation system for hydrogen technologies. The results show that the allocation of funding considers placebased characteristics and has a range of systemic outcomes encompassing the clustering of research activities the specialization of certain places in certain market segments and the in crease of the spatial reach of the national innovation system by integrating left behind places. However the funding contributes insufficiently to market formation at the local and regional scale and is contested due to existing alternative routes that the innovation system could take.

Transformation concepts towards a low-carbon society often require new technology and infrastructure that evoke protests in the population. Therefore it is crucial to understand positions and conflicts in society to achieve social acceptance. This paper analyses these positions using the example of implementing hydrogen and carbon capture and storage infrastructure to decarbonise the German energy system. The empirical basis of the study are explorative stakeholder interviews which were conducted with experts from politics economics civil society and science and analysed within a discursive and attitudinal framework using qualitative content analysis. These stakeholder positions are assumed to represent dominant social perceptions and reflect chances and risks for acceptance. The results indicate different positions while pursuing the common goal of addressing climate change. The general conflict concerns strategies towards a low-carbon society especially the speed of phasing-out fossil energies. Regarding the combination of hydrogen and carbon capture and storage as instrument in the context of the energy transition the stakeholder interviews indicate controversial as well as consensual perceptions. The assessments range from rejection to deeming it absolutely necessary. Controversial argumentations refer to security of supply competitiveness and environmental protection. In contrast consensus can be reached by balancing ecological and economic arguments e.g. by linking hydrogen technologies with renewable and fossil energy sources or by limiting the use of carbon capture and storage only to certain applications (industry bioenergy). In further decisions this balancing of arguments combined with openness of technology transparency of information and citizen participation need to be considered to achieve broad acceptance.

For fast-tracking climate change response green hydrogen is key for achieving greenhouse gas neutral energy systems. Especially Sub-Saharan Africa can benefit from it enabling an increased access to clean energy through utilizing its beneficial conditions for renewable energies. However developing green hydrogen strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa requires highly detailed and consistent information ranging from technical environmental economic and social dimensions which is currently lacking in literature. Therefore this paper provides a comprehensive novel approach embedding the required range of disciplines to analyze green hydrogen costpotentials in Sub-Saharan Africa. This approach stretches from a dedicated land eligibility based on local preferences a location specific renewable energy simulation locally derived sustainable groundwater limitations under climate change an optimization of local hydrogen energy systems and a socio-economic indicator-based impact analysis. The capability of the approach is shown for case study regions in Sub-Saharan Africa highlighting the need for a unified interdisciplinary approach.

Morocco despite its heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels which made up 68% of electricity generation in 2020 has recognised its significant renewable energy potential. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitment is to reduce emissions by 45.5% from baseline levels with international assistance and abstain from constructing new coal plants. Moreover the Green Hydrogen Roadmap aims to export 10 TWh of green hydrogen by 2030 as well as use it for local electricity storage. This paper critically analyses this Roadmap and Morocco’s readiness to reach its ambitious targets focusing specifically on an energy trilemma perspective and using OSeMOSYS (Open-Source energy Modelling System) for energy modelling. The results reveal that the NDC scenario is only marginally more expensive than the least-cost scenario at around 1.3% (approximately USD 375 million) and facilitates a 23.32% emission reduction by 2050. An important note is the continued reliance on existing coal power plants across all scenarios which challenges both energy security and emissions. The assessment of the Green Hydrogen Scenarios highlights that it could be too costly for the Moroccan government to fund the Green Hydrogen Roadmap at this scale which leads to increased imports of polluting fossil fuels for cost reduction. In fact the emission levels are 39% higher in the green hydrogen exports scenario than in the least-cost scenario. Given these findings it is recommended that the Green Hydrogen Roadmap be re-evaluated with a suggestion for a postponement and reduction in scope.

This study introduces a multi-period integrated optimization model for designing a strategic hydrogen supply chain (HSC) network concentrating on the post-production stages of conditioning storage transportation and post-conditioning. Qatar serves as the case study for evaluating three HSC pathways—ammonia (as a hydrogen carrier) liquefied hydrogen and compressed hydrogen—across pre-conditioning storage shipping and postconditioning stages. The optimization framework spans a 20-year plan supporting strategic long-term hydrogen export infrastructure planning. Economic and environmental factors are incorporated to analyze HSC performance under various scenarios accounting for realistic constraints such as investment limits and emission caps. Key findings reveal trade-offs between pathways and design strategies that must account for balancing costs with environmental impacts. Results indicate that the ammonia pathway is preferred in scenarios without emission penalties but becomes less favorable with increased penalties shifting preference toward the liquified hydrogen pathway. With stringent emission limits short- and mid-range markets are prioritized underscoring the importance of emissions-conscious strategies. This study demonstrates the utility of optimi zation tools in balancing economic and environmental objectives offering policymakers and industry stake holders a robust framework for developing sustainable and efficient HSC networks.

In recent years production and supply of hydrogen has gained significant attention within the German energy transition. This is due to increasingly urgent pressures to mitigate climate change and geopolitical imperatives to substitute natural gas. Hydrogen is seen as an important cross-sectoral energy carrier serving multiple functions including heat production for industry and households fuel for transportation and energy storage for stabilization of electricity supply. In the context of various funding mechanisms on several administrative levels regional value chains for green hydrogen supply are emerging. To date however few studies analyzing regional hydrogen systems exist. Due to its high projected demand of energy sources for heating industrial processes and mobility Germany appears to be a very relevant research area in this emerging field. Situated within the concept of the multi-level perspective this article examines the way how regional “niches” of green hydrogen evolve and how they are organized. The study takes an evolutionary perspective in analyzing processes of embedding green hydrogen infrastructures in regional energy regimes which entered “re-configuration”-pathways. It argues that the congruence of available resources for renewable electricity established networks of institutional entrepreneurs and access to higher level funding are conditions which put incumbent regime-actors in favorable positions to implement green hydrogen niches. Conversely the embedding of green hydrogen infrastructures in regional energy systems is a case in point of how the attributes of niches in particular technological domains can be used to explain the transition pathway entered by a surrounding energy regime.

The increasing political momentum advocating for decarbonization efforts has led many governments around the world to unveil national hydrogen strategies. Hydrogen is viewed as a potential enabler of deep decarbonization notably in hard-to-abate sectors such as the industry. A multi-modal hourly resolved linear programming model was developed to assess the infrastructure requirements of a low-carbon supply chain over a large region. It optimizes the deployment of infrastructure from 2025 up to 2050 by assessing four years: 2025 2030 2040 and 2050 and is location agnostic. The considered infrastructure encompasses several technologies for production transmission and storage. Model results illustrate supply chain requirements in Texas and Louisiana. Edge cases considering 100% electrolytic production were analyzed. Results show that by 2050 with an assumed industrial demand of 276 TWh/year Texas and Louisiana would require 62 GW of electrolyzers 102 GW of onshore wind and 32 GW of solar panels. The resulting levelized cost of hydrogen totaled $5.6–6.3/kgH2 in 2025 decreasing to $3.2–3.5/ kgH2 in 2050. Most of the electricity production occurs in Northwest Texas thanks to high capacity factors for both renewable technologies. Hydrogen is produced locally and transmitted through pipelines to demand centers around the Gulf Coast instead of electricity being transmitted for electrolytic production co-located with demand. Large-scale hydrogen storage is highly beneficial in the system to provide buffer between varying electrolytic hydrogen production and constant industrial demand requirements. In a system without low-cost storage liquid and compressed tanks are deployed and there is a significant renewable capacity overbuild to ensure greater electrolyzer capacity factors resulting in higher electricity curtailment. A system under carbon constraint sees the deployment of natural gas-derived hydrogen production. Lax carbon constraint target result in an important reliance on this production method due to its low cost while stricter targets enforce a great share of electrolytic production.