Letter from Rotterdam: Somewhere over the rainbow
The ultimate prize for the low-carbon hydrogen sector is a significant share of the global energy mix, but multiple challenges stand in the way
“Is there a pot of gold at the end of the hydrogen rainbow?” That was the question posed by opening keynote speaker Nicola De Blasio, senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, at the recent World Hydrogen Congress. Judging by the discussions that followed, the industry’s answer might go something like this: Maybe, but let us not get ahead of ourselves, because the immediate challenges are significant. The consensus is that the “pot of gold” for the nascent low-carbon hydrogen industry is a 10–15% share of the global energy mix by the second half of the century and, as a result, a significant role in the net-zero project. That is a long way off. The industry’s immediate foc

Also in this section
11 April 2025
Tariffs and other protectionist measures raise questions about China’s plans to export green fuels and electrolysers, despite its huge cost advantages
11 April 2025
German firm reserves site for three-phase project as developers flock to Europe’s latest green hydrogen hotspot
8 April 2025
Gulf Energy to provide AIQ with exclusive access to its proprietary datasets and industry-leading documents. ENERGYai is already trained on petabytes of operational data from ADNOC, and this agreement will provide the solution with access to even greater quantities of relevant, high-quality industry information
7 April 2025
SAF provides a viable offtake solution for hydrogen producers and benefits from regulatory mandates and strong political support, ensuring long-term demand at higher prices