Irena says hydrogen policy must be carefully targeted to hard-to-decarbonise sectors
Hydrogen use must be targeted – Irena
Technological readiness of alternative decarbonisation solutions and potential size of local hydrogen demand will decide best use cases, agency says
Indiscriminate use of hydrogen could slow the energy transition by absorbing renewable generation that could be more effectively deployed elsewhere, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) titled Green Hydrogen for Industry: A guide to policymaking. “Extensive use [of hydrogen] may not be in line with the requirements of a decarbonised world, where energy consumption and capacity deployment will have to be carefully managed,” says the report. “This calls for priority-setting in policymaking.” Two key factors in this policymaking are the technological readiness of alternative decarbonisation solutions and the potential size of local hydrogen demand. There
Also in this section
5 December 2025
European Commission highlights rapid growth of Chinese production this year, as it retains strict procurement rules in latest European Hydrogen Bank subsidy auction
2 December 2025
Oil major cites deteriorating demand and a planning debacle as it abandons one of UK’s largest blue hydrogen projects
1 December 2025
Project at Emden in northwest Germany due online in 2027, but wider ramp-up of clean hydrogen sector in Germany will require overhaul of government policy, company warns
25 November 2025
The northwest African country’s vision of integrating green power, molecules and steel is alive and kicking, and serves as a reminder of hydrogen’s transformative potential
