China’s manufacturing capabilities and advancements in reducing electrolyzer costs have sparked both hopes and concerns about its potential to dominate global electrolyzer production and exports. This is often compared to China’s success in solar photovoltaics (PV), where dramatic cost...

Renewable hydrogen has emerged as a cornerstone of the European Union (EU)’s plan to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors. However, like other regions, the EU is facing a demand issue as offtakers have been reluctant to sign offtake agreements given the high costs of renewable hydrogen. Renewable...

This study applies a robust techno-economic framework to explore four key decarbonisation pathways – unabated steam methane reforming (SMR), SMR with carbon capture and storage (CCS), biomass-based hydrogen (BIOH₂), and renewable hydrogen via alkaline electrolyser cells (AEC) – across 52...

Low carbon hydrogen (whether based on renewable or nuclear electricity, or fossil fuels with carbon capture) is a means to decarbonise sectors of the economy which are hard to electrify. Its business model is heavily dependent on government intervention (e.g. mandatory targets, subsidies,...

Hydrogen produced with minimal or no carbon emissions is often expected to become an important tool for meeting climate objectives and decarbonising national economies that currently mostly rely on fossil fuels. Despite initial expectations, it seems unlikely that clean hydrogen will be used by...

In 2020, the Chinese coal chemical industry processed nearly one quarter of national coal throughput, and accounted for about 5.4 per cent of national CO2 emissions. Yet the coal chemicals’ industry ability to limit oil and gas imports is appealing to the Chinese leadership in the context of...

Hydrogen production from agricultural waste is a potentially established industry in Indonesia, and the government aims to introduce innovative technologies to produce hydrogen. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of hydrogen production from agricultural waste using three different...

Low carbon hydrogen (whether based on renewable or nuclear electricity, or fossil fuels with carbon capture) is a means to decarbonise sectors of the economy which are hard to electrify. Its business model is heavily dependent on government intervention (e.g. mandatory targets, subsidies,...

This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the historical evolution and the current state of the aviation industry, with a particular emphasis on the critical need for this sector to decarbonize. It delves into emerging propulsion technologies such as battery electric and hydrogen-based...

This paper compares the potential of three countries Morocco, Chile, and Australia to export green hydrogen to the European Union (EU). The three countries are ranked relative to each other based on ten indicators: • The estimated levelized cost of green hydrogen delivery over time • The...

Industrial trade unions in Europe and North America often struggle to develop a coherent strategy on climate change and overcoming fossil fuel production patterns. Trade union policy in the German steel industry is an interesting example of this: the "green" restructuring is firmly in favour, as...

On 11 April 2024 the European Parliament adopted the Renewable and Natural Gases and Hydrogen (RNGH) Directive and the RNGH Regulation – otherwise known as the Decarbonised Gas and Hydrogen Package – and published both documents on 12 April 2024. Once approved by the Council and published in...

Contracts for Difference (“CfDs”), previously mainly known as financial hedging instruments, are increasingly seen as the method of choice for incentivising investment in clean energy technologies. In the power sector, the CfD mechanism has emerged as the preferred arrangement to provide the...

As the power sector is the largest GHG emitter, it is important to investigate the fuels used in this sector. In 2023, coal was the primary source of electricity supply, accounting for 35.9%. Natural gas came in second, representing 23%. Asia has the largest number of coal plants in operation,...

This paper examines the viability of green ammonia (NH3) as a marine fuel in the transition to decarbonized shipping. While there is no singular solution for achieving decarbonization, there is increasing recognition on the pivotal role of green ammonia in decarbonizing the shipping sector. The...

This policy brief addresses the critical issue of phasing out diesel subsidies in Colombia and underscores the urgent need for coordinated action and strategic planning. The Colombian government views the sub­sidy phase-out as part of its energy transition strategy, proposing investments in...

The iron/steel industry is one of the highest emitting sectors, contributing 7-9% of overall global emissions. As population and economic growth will demand more steel as a key building block of society, the need to decarbonize the sector is critical. This paper assesses the financing...

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of hydrogen. The country has adopted a domestic strategy that targets significant growth in hydrogen consumption and production. Given the importance of hydrogen in the low-carbon energy transition, it is critical to understand China’s...

The future of the European hydrogen supply industry lies at the heart of the European Union’s energy policy, demanding the reconciliation of conflicting interests in liberalization, sustainability, and security of supply. This paper analyses the unique challenges faced by the emerging hydrogen...

The transition to a hydrogen-based economy is gaining momentum in both Germany and the European Union (EU). Used as an energy carrier, hydrogen holds the promise of freeing hard-to-decarbonise sectors like heavy industry, aviation, and maritime trade from their emissions. At the same time,...

Hydrogen is going to play an important role in future decarbonized energy systems and understanding its interaction with other energy vectors is crucial to create adequate policies. In this review, the green hydrogen production literature was classified and analysed to unveil the gaps that avoid...

The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies started researching the role of hydrogen in the energy transition in 2020. Since then the interest in hydrogen has continued to grow globally across the energy industry. A key research question has been the extent to which clean hydrogen can be scaled up...

The European Commission has identified hydrogen as a key part of its decarbonisation strategy. The 2022 REPowerEU Strategy set a target of 20MT consumption of renewable hydrogen by 2030. The Commission is keen to promote a single European market in hydrogen, similar to the current one for...

This paper uses a whole-system approach to examine different strategies related to the future role of the gas grid in a low-carbon heat system. A novel model of integrated gas, electricity and heat systems, HEGIT, is used to investigate four key sets of scenarios for the future of the gas grid...

The UK government's plans to decarbonise residential heating will mean major changes to the energy system whatever the specific technology pathway chosen, driving a range of impacts on users and suppliers. We use an energy system model (UK TIMES) to identify the potential energy system impacts...

Steelmaking is one of the two largest industrial contributors to climate change, accounting for 7-9% of global CO2 emissions. To achieve drastic emission reduction in the steel sector, integrating breakthrough low-carbon technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and...

Hydrogen’s production versatility, coupled with its potential as an energy vector, positions it as a potentially important fuel for the future. It can be sourced in many different ways, and has the ability to meet many applications, both in existing and future technology, and this means that...

In this latest edition of our Key Themes series we examine a number of topics which we believe will be highly relevant to the global energy economy in 2023. The past twelve months have seen a huge re-prioritisation of energy policy away from environmental issues and towards energy security and...

Hydrogen serves as an energy source and represents an important cornerstone for achieving the goal of maintaining a level of zero-carbon-dioxide emissions in industry production processes. Our analysis is based on the computable general equilibrium framework and focuses on a partial switch to...

As a global leader in renewable energy, India is transitioning from fossil fuel-based hydrogen to green hydrogen, driven by technological advancements, cost reductions, and supportive policies. Initiatives like the National Green Hydrogen Mission and Green Hydrogen Policy aim to establish India...

Central Asian economies, particularly Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are pursuing increasingly ambitious goals for renewable energy. Apart from China - an established player in the market - it has increasingly been Gulf countries that have been implementing respective projects, particularly Saudi...

This study investigates the capacity of a developed production planning model to coordinate energy management within a hybrid energy system. The specific focus is on energy-intensive manufacturing firms utilizing renewable energy generation and energy storage. Unlike prior research in the field...

Central Asian economies, particularly Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are pursuing increasingly ambitious goals for renewable energy. Apart from China - an established player in the market - it has increasingly been Gulf countries that have been implementing respective projects, particularly Saudi...

This Live Wire focuses on safety concerns associated with hydrogen and its main derivatives: ammonia and methanol. After an exhaustive review of the literature and measures on hydrogen safety, the study summarized here found robust, well-established standards developed by reputable institutions....

Synthetic fertilizers are essential to sustaining the world's population, but their production is responsible for 1.8-2.4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Clean hydrogen holds growing potential (amid falling costs) to decarbonize fertilizer production. Hydrogen produces synthetic...

This study investigates the capacity of a developed production planning model to coordinate energy management within a hybrid energy system. The specific focus is on energy-intensive manufacturing firms utilizing renewable energy generation and energy storage. Unlike prior research in the field...