Renewable Hydrogen

Hydrogen has recently become a popular topic and is often described as the missing link to a successful green energy transition. However, hydrogen can only contribute to a carbon-free future if it is produced from renewable energy. The ability to produce renewable hydrogen is linked to the renewable energy production capacity, which is itself conditioned by the underpinning renewable energy policies. This publication offers a review and an analysis of the renewable energy and hydrogen policies of five countries of the APAC markets: Australia, China, Japan, South-Korea and Taiwan. The review is complemented by interviews of renewable energy policy experts, renewable energy project developers and potential renewable hydrogen off-takers. Altogether, the policies analysis and experts’ inputs provide a comprehensive overview of the status, drivers, limitations, and recommendations for the use of renewable hydrogen as a solution for deep decarbonization. Finally, the author proposes a method to assess the potential of renewable hydrogen to decarbonize hard-to-abate industries (ammonia, methanol, oil refining and steel manufacturing) based on existing renewable energy policies.