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Governance Strategies and Insights to Accelerate the Production and Diffusion of Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell Technologies

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A5: Hydrogen Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2021) | Viewed by 18886

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Interests: Energy policy; Hydrogen society and fuel-cell vehicles; Fossil fuel divestment and phase-out; Governance of low-carbon technologies; Sustainability transitions
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Interests: Governance of technology, Transport Policy, Technology Policy, Public policy; Socio-technical systems; Policy design, analysis, and analytics; Sustainable development; Smart cities, Energy and Environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER), Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Interests: carbon neutral; energy transitions; hydrogen economy; social equity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the energy transition to a post-carbon society gathers pace, renewable energy, batteries and battery electric vehicles are rapidly diffusing while improving considerably in cost and performance. Thus, for many, hydrogen has slipped from the field of attention. Yet hydrogen and fuel-cells can play (and are already playing) an important role in accelerating the electrification and decarbonisation of transport, industry and households. This is especially so for long-range or heavy-duty vehicles, long-term and long-distance energy storage, and difficult to decarbonise sectors like steel, chemicals and heat production. With hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies rapidly developing and diffusing around the world, it is time to take stock of this situation and consider: 

  • What governance strategies are being used to accelerate the production and diffusion of hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies?
  • How are countries or regions using hydrogen and fuel-cells to accelerate the decarbonisation of transport (e.g. road and maritime) in particular, but also industry and households?
  • How are countries or regions using hydrogen and fuel-cells to support the upscaling of renewable energies?
  • What trends and planning insights can build understanding into how hydrogen and fuel-cells can help accelerate the transition to a post-carbon world? 

We invite colleagues to submit high-quality papers on these topics in a special issue organised by three guest editors: Gregory Trencher (Tohoku University, Japan), Araz Taeihagh (National University of Singapore), and Andrew Chapman (Kyushu University, Japan).

Dr. Gregory Trencher
Dr. Araz Taeihagh
Dr. Andrew John Chapman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Hydrogen
  • Fuel cells
  • Policy
  • Governance
  • Diffusion
  • Infrastructure
  • Vehicles
  • Transport
  • Decarbonization
  • Energy storage and transmission

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 424 KiB  
Article
EU Carbon Diplomacy: Assessing Hydrogen Security and Policy Impact in Australia and Germany
by Linda Hancock and Linda Wollersheim
Energies 2021, 14(23), 8103; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14238103 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4352
Abstract
Hydrogen is fast becoming a new international “super fuel” to accelerate global climate change ambitions. This paper has two inter-weaving themes. Contextually, it focuses on the potential impact of the EU’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on fossil fuel-generated as opposed to [...] Read more.
Hydrogen is fast becoming a new international “super fuel” to accelerate global climate change ambitions. This paper has two inter-weaving themes. Contextually, it focuses on the potential impact of the EU’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on fossil fuel-generated as opposed to green hydrogen imports. The CBAM, as a transnational carbon adjustment mechanism, has the potential to impact international trade in energy. It seeks both a level playing field between imports and EU internal markets (subject to ambitious EU climate change policies), and to encourage emissions reduction laggards through its “carbon diplomacy”. Countries without a price on carbon will be charged for embodied carbon in their supply chains when they export to the EU. Empirically, we focus on two hydrogen export/import case studies: Australia as a non-EU state with ambitions to export hydrogen, and Germany as an EU Member State reliant on energy imports. Energy security is central to energy trade debates but needs to be conceptualized beyond supply and demand economics to include geopolitics, just transitions and the impacts of border carbon taxes and EU carbon diplomacy. Accordingly, we apply and further develop a seven-dimension energy security-justice framework to the examples of brown, blue and green hydrogen export/import hydrogen operations, with varying carbon-intensity supply chains, in Australia and Germany. Applying the framework, we identify potential impact—risks and opportunities—associated with identified brown, blue and green hydrogen export/import projects in the two countries. This research contributes to the emerging fields of international hydrogen trade, supply chains, and international carbon diplomacy and develops a potentially useful seven-dimension energy security-justice framework for energy researchers and policy analysts. Full article
26 pages, 14464 KiB  
Article
Hydrogen Station Location Planning via Geodesign in Connecticut: Comparing Optimization Models and Structured Stakeholder Collaboration
by Oscar Lopez Jaramillo, Joel Rinebold, Michael Kuby, Scott Kelley, Darren Ruddell, Rhian Stotts, Aimee Krafft and Elizabeth Wentz
Energies 2021, 14(22), 7747; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14227747 - 18 Nov 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2170
Abstract
Geodesign is a participatory planning approach in which stakeholders use geographic information systems to develop and vet alternative design scenarios in a collaborative and iterative process. This study is based on a 2019 geodesign workshop in which 17 participants from industry, government, university, [...] Read more.
Geodesign is a participatory planning approach in which stakeholders use geographic information systems to develop and vet alternative design scenarios in a collaborative and iterative process. This study is based on a 2019 geodesign workshop in which 17 participants from industry, government, university, and non-profit sectors worked together to design an initial network of hydrogen refueling stations in the Hartford, Connecticut, metropolitan area. The workshop involved identifying relevant location factors, rapid prototyping of station network designs, and developing consensus on a final design. The geodesign platform, which was designed specifically for facility location problems, enables breakout groups to add or delete stations with a simple point-and-click operation, view and overlay different map layers, compute performance metrics, and compare their designs to those of other groups. By using these sources of information and their own expert local knowledge, participants recommended six locations for hydrogen refueling stations over two distinct phases of station installation. We quantitatively and qualitatively compared workshop recommendations to solutions of three optimal station location models that have been used to recommend station locations, which minimize travel times from stations to population and traffic or maximize trips that can be refueled on origin–destination routes. In a post-workshop survey, participants rated the workshop highly for facilitating mutual understanding and information sharing among stakeholders. To our knowledge, this workshop represents the first application of geodesign for hydrogen refueling station infrastructure planning. Full article
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26 pages, 1733 KiB  
Article
Drivers and Barriers to the Adoption of Fuel Cell Passenger Vehicles and Buses in Germany
by Gregory Trencher and Achmed Edianto
Energies 2021, 14(4), 833; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14040833 - 05 Feb 2021
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 6118
Abstract
As policymakers and automotive stakeholders around the world seek to accelerate the electrification of road transport with hydrogen, this study focuses on the experiences of Germany, a world leader in fuel cell technology. Specifically, it identifies and compares the drivers and barriers influencing [...] Read more.
As policymakers and automotive stakeholders around the world seek to accelerate the electrification of road transport with hydrogen, this study focuses on the experiences of Germany, a world leader in fuel cell technology. Specifically, it identifies and compares the drivers and barriers influencing the production and market penetration of privately-owned fuel cell electric passenger vehicles (FCEVs) and fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) in public transit fleets. Using original data collected via a survey and 17 interviews, we elicited the opinions of experts to examine opportunities and obstacles in Germany from four perspectives: (i) the supply of vehicles (ii) refuelling infrastructure, (iii) demand for vehicles, and (iv) cross-cutting institutional issues. Findings indicate that despite multiple drivers, there are significant challenges hampering the growth of the hydrogen mobility market. Several are more pronounced in the passenger FCEV market. These include the supply and cost of production, the lack of German automakers producing FCEVs, the profitability and availability of refuelling stations, and low demand for vehicles. In light of these findings, we extract implications for international policymakers and future studies. This study provides a timely update on efforts to spur the deployment of hydrogen mobility in Germany and addresses the underrepresentation of studies examining both buses and passenger vehicles in tandem. Full article
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17 pages, 852 KiB  
Article
The Role of Hydrogen in Achieving Long Term Japanese Energy System Goals
by Anshuman Chaube, Andrew Chapman, Yosuke Shigetomi, Kathryn Huff and James Stubbins
Energies 2020, 13(17), 4539; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13174539 - 02 Sep 2020
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 5006
Abstract
This research qualitatively reviews literature regarding energy system modeling in Japan specific to the future hydrogen economy, leveraging quantitative model outcomes to establish the potential future deployment of hydrogen in Japan. The analysis focuses on the four key sectors of storage, supplementing the [...] Read more.
This research qualitatively reviews literature regarding energy system modeling in Japan specific to the future hydrogen economy, leveraging quantitative model outcomes to establish the potential future deployment of hydrogen in Japan. The analysis focuses on the four key sectors of storage, supplementing the gas grid, power generation, and transportation, detailing the potential range of hydrogen technologies which are expected to penetrate Japanese energy markets up to 2050 and beyond. Alongside key model outcomes, the appropriate policy settings, governance and market mechanisms are described which underpin the potential hydrogen economy future for Japan. We find that transportation, gas grid supplementation, and storage end-uses may emerge in significant quantities due to policies which encourage ambitious implementation targets, investment in technologies and research and development, and the emergence of a future carbon pricing regime. On the other hand, for Japan which will initially be dependent on imported hydrogen, the cost of imports appears critical to the emergence of broad hydrogen usage, particularly in the power generation sector. Further, the consideration of demographics in Japan, recognizing the aging, shrinking population and peoples’ energy use preferences will likely be instrumental in realizing a smooth transition toward a hydrogen economy. Full article
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