Towards hydrogen definitions based on their emissions intensity

Towards hydrogen definitions based on their emissions intensity is a new report by the International Energy Agency, designed to inform policy makers, hydrogen producers, investors and the research community in advance of the G7 Climate, Energy and Environmental Ministerial meeting in April 2023. The report builds on the analysis from the IEA’s Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector and continues the series of reports that the IEA has prepared for the G7 on the sectoral details of the roadmap, including the Achieving Net Zero Electricity Sectors in G7 Members, Achieving Net Zero Heavy Industry Sectors in G7 Members and Emissions Measurement and Data Collection for a Net Zero Steel Industry reports.

This report assesses the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of the different hydrogen production routes and reviews ways to use the emissions intensity of hydrogen production in the development of regulation and certification schemes. An internationally agreed emissions accounting framework is a way to move away from the use of terminologies based on colours or other terms that have proved impractical for the contracts that underpin investment. The adoption of such a framework can bring much-needed transparency, as well as facilitating interoperability and limiting market fragmentation, thus becoming a useful enabler of investments for the development of international hydrogen supply chains.