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Climate impacts of a HYdrogen Economy – the pathWAY to knowledge

Project description

Assessing the environmental impact of hydrogen solutions

Organisations and countries have been focusing on several promising clean energy and fuel solutions to combat climate change. Hydrogen solutions have received considerable attention. Unfortunately, little is known about the effects of hydrogen and its emissions on the environment, leading to concerns about the growing interest in it. The EU-funded HYWAY project will conduct a comprehensive study on the environmental effects of the large-scale use of hydrogen. To achieve this, it has assembled a team of experts to conduct research and develop new modelling and monitoring technologies for improved hydrogen equipment safety and climate assessments.

Objective

The HYway project will be the most comprehensive study on environmental effects of large-scale hydrogen usage to date. HYway is led by a team of experienced scientists who have already conducted extensive research on the climate effects of hydrogen. To fully understand the climate effect of hydrogen emissions, HYway will constrain the hydrogen budget by novel work on surface emissions, measurements of leaks and soil uptake fluxes, and application of a global atmospheric model ensemble combined with observations to quantify the atmospheric sources and sinks of hydrogen. To improve monitoring tools for hydrogen leakages, HYway will develop novel emission modelling and installation-level emission measurements. We will measure the hydrogen soil sink using flux chambers and instrumented drones, and we will use this knowledge to improve process-based models of the sink. The Global Warming Potential of hydrogen and its Effective Radiative Forcing will be quantified, including the component contributions from methane, ozone, stratospheric water vapour and aerosols. HYway will also quantify several environmental effects associated with hydrogen emissions such as stratospheric ozone depletion and air pollution. HYway will build on existing methods to create realistic future scenarios to fully explore the climate and environmental impacts of a hydrogen economy, including co-emissions and associated reductions in fossil fuel-related emissions. HYway includes a large advisory board of industry partners, several of them from established hydrogen collaborations. The advisory board will assist in estimating hydrogen leakage rates and in establishing realistic scenarios for a future hydrogen economy. By evaluating the potential climate and environmental impacts of a hydrogen economy, HYway will provide critical information to policymakers and stakeholders, allowing them to make informed decisions about the role of hydrogen in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL5-2023-D1-01

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Coordinator

CICERO SENTER FOR KLIMAFORSKNING
Net EU contribution
€ 915 000,00
Address
Sognsveien 72
0855 Oslo
Norway
Region
Norge Oslo og Viken Oslo
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 915 000,00

Participants (8)

Partners (3)