New paper recommends strategy to deliver renewable hydrogen

The recommendations have been made in the ‘From Ambition To Reality 3 – steps to accelerate net zero delivery’ paper, published today (August 29, 2023) as part of a series that examines the infrastructure delivery challenge of reaching mid-century net zero.

Findings in the report include an eight-to-12-fold increase in global electrolyser manufacturing capacity, a four-fold increase in annual capacity additions for offshore wind every year, and a 35 per cent increase in desalination capacity additions are required by 2030 to meet the EU’s goal of 10MPTA of renewable hydrogen production by 2030. The paper finds that traditional delivery methods will be too slow to deliver the infrastructure needed, putting the EU's production target at risk.

Now, Worley and Princeton researchers have devised the ‘EU Renewable H₂ Initiative Plan’, a ten-point plan for the industry. The report finds that through broad adoption of the plan by infrastructure participants, delivery times could potentially be reduced by 40 per cent while maintaining a disciplined approach to investment.

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According to the report, 25 projects at a scale of 3GW electrolyser and 400KTPA need to be operating commercially by 2030 to meet the EU’s target. The report found that the timeline required to deliver these projects is likely to be a minimum of eight years and timelines beyond 10 years are probable.

The initiatives proposed in the plan include government underwriting of demand and streamlining permitting, the use of standardisation within the hydrogen industry, and the widespread sharing of industry information and best practice. These recommendations go beyond existing industry practices and will require a shift in current approaches where knowledge and expertise are often held in-house.

In a statement, Dr Paul Ebert, group director sustainability leadership from Worley, said: “Our findings highlight the urgency of strategic and substantial actions within the renewable hydrogen sector. The proposed initiatives go significantly beyond current practices seen within the industry, but this new level of collaboration and support will be essential for driving investment faster, steering the region towards both sustainable and environmentally conscious energy production.

“In the paper we also outline pragmatic steps that participants in all clean energy value chains can adopt to build momentum towards the critical decades of 2030 and 2040s. Worley and Princeton researchers are championing the change needed to accelerate the path to net zero and challenge other industry participants to work with us to turn ambition into reality.”