While there are valuable technological advances, the production of green hydrogen is still insufficient and costly. Work must be done simultaneously on various fronts to ensure, on the one hand, a continuous supply of green hydrogen at competitive prices and, on the other hand, a reasonable societal demand.

In the framework of the working group on Production issues, the following aspects of key relevance could be addressed:

• The state of supply and demand of green hydrogen at the local, EU and global levels.
• Different technologies for Hydrogen production.
• Projects and technologies for the optimization and up-scaling of green hydrogen production in the short, medium, and long term.
• Socio-economic interests in the context of green hydrogen production.
• Collaborations and synergies between different actors (researcher, industry, civil society, public administrators).

Infrastructure and transport are pivotal elements of the green hydrogen value chain. Infrastructure is needed for storage in different forms (liquid, high pressure, as part of an aggregate, among other options) and its location must be optimized (close to the place of production or use, close to cities or in isolated areas). Transport strategies are based on the re-use of existing natural gas pipelines, the construction of new hydrogen pipelines, or other means of transport, whether by road, rail, or ship.

In this context, the working group on Transport and Infrastructure issues could address the following aspects of special relevance:

• Projection models to simulate the use of hydrogen under different scenarios in Germany and the EU.
• The technologies for hydrogen transport.
• The technologies for hydrogen storage.
• Safety issues of hydrogen storage and transport.
• The efficient integration of hydrogen into existing electricity structures.
• Socio-economic aspects of safe use and transport of hydrogen on a large scale.

Consolidating the interaction between demand and supply of green hydrogen by market stimulation is today one of the most cross-disciplinary, varied, relevant and strategic aspects of the green hydrogen economy. Market ramp-up should take place hand in hand with technological advances. Securing the market for green hydrogen will stimulate demand, stabilise cost and production, and make green hydrogen a competitive tradable in the economy. 

In this context, the working group on Market Stimulation issues could consider the following aspects of key importance:

• The introduction of hydrogen in transport.
• The introduction of hydrogen in the industry (refining, ammonia production, steel industry, etc.).
• The introduction of hydrogen in domestic uses.
• Measures to make the cost of green hydrogen production competitive and bankable, e.g., through production subsidies, carbon pricing mechanisms or other exemptions.
• Policy framework for the eventual integration of green hydrogen as an energy carrier into the clean energy grid.
• Regulatory quality and legal certainty for commercial transactions related to green hydrogen, including import and/or export of hydrogen.  

Throughout the green hydrogen value chain, there are cross-cutting socio-economic and environmental issues that need to be considered for the consolidation of the green hydrogen economy. As these issues range from basic research to social and legal aspects related to end-consumer behaviour, an interdisciplinary and cross-cutting approach by public administrators, entrepreneurs, researchers and experts is required, as well as regular interaction with the other working groups. The objective must be to ensure that society can confidently adopt these new technologies.

Therefore, within the Cross-Cutting topics working group, the following topics could be considered of special relevance:

• Mechanisms to address the new requirements brought about by the adoption of new hydrogen technologies (manpower, employment, training, etc.).
• The regulatory framework (quality, market competition, international trade, etc.), the legislative framework and the development of standards for the creation of a common and integrated system at the EU level.
• Mechanisms to identify the socio-economic and environmental impact of the adoption of the hydrogen economy within the EU.
• Strategies to support, educate and prepare civil society and end-users in the adoption of green hydrogen technologies, in an equitable manner.