Climate Implications of Hydrogen Energy Systems

Molecular Hydrogen is widely considered a critical solution to decarbonizing the global economy due to an abundance of atomic hydrogen and versatility as a carbon-free energy carrier. However, hydrogen can have climate impacts depending on how it is produced, managed, and used. For example, producing hydrogen with renewable electricity can potentially slow down the rate of decarbonization. Furthermore, hydrogen itself can indirectly warm the climate but the extent to which anthropogenic activities impact its budget remains uncertain. These challenges highlight the need for a careful analysis of the benefits and risks associated with H2 as a decarbonizing strategy over the short to medium term.

With hydrogen considered a powerful opportunity to accelerate decarbonization, policies, plans, and technologies are evolving rapidly around the globe to advance supply and demand. However, scientific assessment of the climate implications of hydrogen systems are limited, and therefore not well understood, known, and addressed among stakeholders. To ensure that hydrogen is deployed effectively as a decarbonization strategy, we must advance understanding of the ways in which scaling up hydrogen systems can impact the climate.

This Research Topic encourages researchers to present their latest findings on the climate implications of deploying hydrogen energy systems to rapidly decarbonize the economy.

Main topics of interest for this Research Topic include, but are not limited to:

Production Methods

Constraints on green H2 (e.g., water, electricity)
Natural gas-derived H2 (CCUS efficiency, CH4 emissions)
Geological H2 (resource estimate, exploration)
Other low-carbon methods (e.g., nuclear)
“Clean” H2 definitions

Atmospheric Impacts

Hydrogen budget: natural/anthropogenic sources/sinks
Ambient concentrations monitoring
Value chain infrastructure emissions quantification (leakage, purging, venting)
Chemistry-climate modeling of tropospheric/stratospheric effects
Impacts of changes in other emitted species on H2 effects
Different H2 scenarios: effects on GHGs, air pollution, climate

Comparison with Alternatives

Methods e.g., LCAs, metrics, climate models
Long duration electricity storage, renewable intermittency backup, heating buildings, industrial processes, heavy duty transport, feedstock for fuel production

Submissions that address justice/equity implications are strongly encouraged.