Green(ing) H2
This project is completed. Engaging civil society in the process of making European hydrogen infrastructure green, fair, and sustainable.
Energy Policy Energy Transition and Climate-Neutral Buildings Renewable Energy
Project info
Germany, Poland, Portugal
10/21 - 09/23
Civil society, Non-governmental organisations, Private sector, National governments, Associations
284,999.20 €
Contact info
Rita Prates
- Germanwatch e.V.
- Instrat Foundation
Background
Hydrogen (H2) is projected to play a key role in a future climate-neutral society, enabling emission-free transport, heating, and industrial processes as well as seasonal energy storage. However, hydrogen is not per se climate neutral. If not designed with a focus on sustainability, both its production and its logistics bear the danger of dependency on fossil fuels as well as of competition for water and renewable energy. In Europe, the policy debates on hydrogen have been dominated by representatives from the energy industry, who have not adequately articulated these dangers. An informed and engaged civil society can contribute to the respective policy debates and hold decision makers accountable, ensuring that further advancement of hydrogen strategies focuses on truly sustainable hydrogen.
Project
The project team targeted organized civil society – such as NGOs, think tanks, and associations – on the EU level as well as in Poland, Germany, and Portugal as countries which held key roles in advancing the hydrogen industry in Europe. To empower civil society to actively engage in the hydrogen debate, the project team focused on two activities. The first step was to build a cross-European network of organized civil society actors who were interested in or involved in green(ing) hydrogen at the European and national levels, encouraging and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and perspectives. This network constituted the basis for the second step, which was to – as a collective – develop guidelines for policymakers. These guidelines aimed to propose solutions for designing sustainable hydrogen markets and infrastructures. The project members disseminated these guidelines among civil society organizations and among government ministries so that the guidelines supported the policy processes that paved the way for the further advancement of truly net-carbon free hydrogen. Through its efforts, the project team contributed to unleashing the full potential of green hydrogen for climate neutrality.
Results
Last update: October 2024
