Executive Summary
Executive summary of the key points regarding the European Union's approach to hydrogen:
1. Hydrogen as a solution: The EU recognizes hydrogen as a strategic component for decarbonization and reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports, particularly from Russia.
2. Current Usage and Production: Hydrogen is mainly used in the chemical industry, primarily produced from natural gas, and today contributes only 2% to the primary energy supply. This production method releases CO2 into the environment.
3. Shift towards Renewable Hydrogen: The EU aims to produce hydrogen from renewable sources to achieve its decarbonization goals. It acknowledges the potential of electrolysis as a promising technology for producing clean hydrogen using renewable electricity.
4. Decarbonization Objectives: The EU has set a strategic plan to increase the share of hydrogen in energy needs to at least 14% and aims for renewable hydrogen to play a significant role in achieving climate-neutrality by 2050.
5. Legislative Proposals: The European Commission adopted legislative proposals in December 2021 to decarbonize the EU gas market and facilitate the uptake of renewable and low-carbon gases like hydrogen. These proposals aim to ensure energy security, reduce methane emissions, and promote the use of renewable hydrogen.
6. European Hydrogen Bank: The European Commission has planned the establishment of a European Hydrogen Bank (EHB) to stimulate and support investment in sustainable hydrogen production. The EHB aims to bridge the investment gap and accelerate the production of renewable hydrogen to meet ambitious targets.
7. EU Strategies: The EU has launched the Hydrogen Strategy and Energy System Integration Strategy to create a smarter and more integrated energy system. These strategies encompass research, innovation, production, infrastructure, and international cooperation for hydrogen development.
8. European Clean Hydrogen Alliance: The European Commission has formed the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, bringing together industry, public authorities, civil society, and stakeholders to deploy hydrogen technologies and promote its use in various sectors.
9. Funding and Research: The EU provides funding through programs like Horizon Europe, Joint Technology Initiatives, and the Innovation Fund to support research, innovation, and demonstration projects related to hydrogen.
10. Market Development: The EU aims to create favorable conditions for the conversion to hydrogen, including the development of hydrogen distribution networks and the revision of infrastructure priorities. The goal is to establish a competitive market that can supply hydrogen to various consumers.
1. Hydrogen as a solution: The EU recognizes hydrogen as a strategic component for decarbonization and reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports, particularly from Russia.
2. Current Usage and Production: Hydrogen is mainly used in the chemical industry, primarily produced from natural gas, and today contributes only 2% to the primary energy supply. This production method releases CO2 into the environment.
3. Shift towards Renewable Hydrogen: The EU aims to produce hydrogen from renewable sources to achieve its decarbonization goals. It acknowledges the potential of electrolysis as a promising technology for producing clean hydrogen using renewable electricity.
4. Decarbonization Objectives: The EU has set a strategic plan to increase the share of hydrogen in energy needs to at least 14% and aims for renewable hydrogen to play a significant role in achieving climate-neutrality by 2050.
5. Legislative Proposals: The European Commission adopted legislative proposals in December 2021 to decarbonize the EU gas market and facilitate the uptake of renewable and low-carbon gases like hydrogen. These proposals aim to ensure energy security, reduce methane emissions, and promote the use of renewable hydrogen.
6. European Hydrogen Bank: The European Commission has planned the establishment of a European Hydrogen Bank (EHB) to stimulate and support investment in sustainable hydrogen production. The EHB aims to bridge the investment gap and accelerate the production of renewable hydrogen to meet ambitious targets.
7. EU Strategies: The EU has launched the Hydrogen Strategy and Energy System Integration Strategy to create a smarter and more integrated energy system. These strategies encompass research, innovation, production, infrastructure, and international cooperation for hydrogen development.
8. European Clean Hydrogen Alliance: The European Commission has formed the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, bringing together industry, public authorities, civil society, and stakeholders to deploy hydrogen technologies and promote its use in various sectors.
9. Funding and Research: The EU provides funding through programs like Horizon Europe, Joint Technology Initiatives, and the Innovation Fund to support research, innovation, and demonstration projects related to hydrogen.
10. Market Development: The EU aims to create favorable conditions for the conversion to hydrogen, including the development of hydrogen distribution networks and the revision of infrastructure priorities. The goal is to establish a competitive market that can supply hydrogen to various consumers.
Hydrogen: Documents & Links
- Staff Working Document - Investment needs, hydrogen accelerator and achieving the bio-methane targets (SWD/2022/230 final)
- Commission's Communication - REPowerEU plan (2023)
- Commission's Factsheet - Building a European research area for clean hydrogen (March 2022)
- Studies
- The role of renewable H₂ import & storage to scale up the EU deployment of renewable H₂ (February 2022)
- METIS study on costs and benefits of a pan-European hydrogen infrastructure (December 2021)
- Role of hydrogen in National Energy and Climate Plans (by FCH JU, August 2020)
- Hydrogen generation in Europe (July 2020)
- Impact of biomethane and hydrogen on trans-European infrastructure (April 2020)
- IRENA reports
- Global Hydrogen Trade to Meet the 1.5°C Climate Goal: Green Hydrogen Cost and Potential (May 2022)
- Global Hydrogen Trade to Meet the 1.5°C Climate Goal: Technology Review of Hydrogen Carriers (April 2022)
- Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation: The Hydrogen Factor (January 2022)
- Hydrogen from renewable power – Technology outlook for the energy transition (December 2018)
- Assistance to the impact assessment for designing a regulatory framework hydrogen (December 2021)
- Report - Global Hydrogen Review 2021 (IEA, October 2021)
- Factsheet - The role of hydrogen in meeting our 2030 climate and energy targets (July 2021)
- EU strategy on hydrogen COM(2020) 301 final (July 2020)
- Press releases - Decarbonising the gas market, promoting hydrogen, and tackling methane, Gas Markets factsheet (December 2021)
- Article - Hydrogen - driving the green revolution (available in EN | FR | DE | IT | ES | PL, April 2021)
- Press material on the hydrogen strategy (July 2020) - Press release, Q&A, factsheet and video
- 20 key actions of the EU Hydrogen Strategy - Where EU is investing.
- EU strategy on energy system integration - The EU Energy systems integration explained.
- Clean Hydrogen Partnership - The Public-Private EU initiative to contribute to EU Green Deal and Hydrogen Strategy through optimised funding of R&I activities.
- Hydrogen Europe - The European Association representing the interest of the hydrogen industry and its stakeholders and promoting hydrogen as an enabler of a zero-emission society.
- Hydrogen and fuel cells (EU Science Hub) - Devices that convert H2 chemical energy directly into electrical energy through an electrochemical process.
- European Clean Hydrogen Alliance - The Alliance to promote investments and stimulate clean hydrogen production and use.
- Hydrogen Public Funding Compass - An EU online guide for stakeholders to identify public funding sources for hydrogen projects
