Hydrogen leakage poses growing threat to green scale-up

Electrolysis seen as most leakage-prone production pathway as study warns of sharp increase through 2030 and beyond

Hydrogen leakage is becoming a major concern globally amid the race to scale up output and use, with a new study suggesting electrolysis is the most leakage-prone production route. However, a lack of consistent data makes it difficult to fully assess the issue, leading to regulatory risk. When released into the atmosphere, hydrogen acts as an indirect greenhouse gas as it can cause atmosphere perturbations, leading to the increase in the concentrations of methane, ozone and water vapour, thus offsetting climate benefits. “This leaves the door wide open for regulatory uncertainty” Corbeau, Center on Global Energy Policy A recent study led by researchers at Italy’s Polytechnic Universi