Global Atlas for a Green Hydrogen Future
13.04.2021
Germany will remain dependent on energy imports for the foreseeable future. This will include green hydrogen imports from regions with abundant solar and wind energy resources. Supported by researchers from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, the HyPat project is conducting a global assessment of green hydrogen potentials, as called for in Germany's National Hydrogen Strategy.
Global H2 potential atlas
The project “HyPat – Global Potentials for the Production and Export of Green Hydrogen” will take stock of possible partner countries for Germany's future hydrogen economy and analyse their respective production and supply chains. The specific needs of potential partner countries will also be considered in this analysis, including the development of reliable domestic energy systems, the realization of economic development opportunities, and the achievement of climate and sustainability goals, including commitments under the Paris Agreement.
In addition, the project consortium will analyze the ability of countries to build the capital- and technology-intensive infrastructure necessary for hydrogen production. This analysis wil extend to governance structures, access to capital, and consider issues such as geopolitical stability. The team will also investigate the opportunities that could be created for countries, including impacts on local value creation and capacity building opportunities. Acceptance and stakeholder analyses will also be conducted.
The project team will contrast the potential supply of hydrogen and synthetic fuels, as derived from theses analyses, with the projected demand of energy importing countries to provide a first comprehensive, global assessment. These findings will inform policy recommendations for the development of a sustainable national import strategy. The results of this research are anticipated in early 2024.
An interdisciplinary consortium has been established to bring together expertise on the various aspects of this research. The project will be led by a team from Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI. As part of this effort, IASS researchers will collect and analyse data on policy, regulation, and quality infrastructure in the most important countries of the emerging global hydrogen economy. These will be used to generate comparative studies of the country-level policy mixes. These data will inform the modelling of global demand for hydrogen and will be visualized online.
The project will run for three years and is funded through the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the "Hydrogen Republic of Germany" stream. Further information is available (in German) from the BMBF website for hydrogen lighthouse projects.
