Hydrogen use must be targeted – Irena

Technological readiness of alternative decarbonisation solutions and potential size of local hydrogen demand will decide best use cases, agency says

Indiscriminate use of hydrogen could slow the energy transition by absorbing renewable generation that could be more effectively deployed elsewhere, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) titled Green Hydrogen for Industry: A guide to policymaking. “Extensive use [of hydrogen] may not be in line with the requirements of a decarbonised world, where energy consumption and capacity deployment will have to be carefully managed,” says the report. “This calls for priority-setting in policymaking.” Two key factors in this policymaking are the technological readiness of alternative decarbonisation solutions and the potential size of local hydrogen demand. There