Hydrogen’s renewable renaissance
As part of Petroleum Economist's 90th anniversary special coverage, we look at how hydrogen has emerged from relative obscurity to become a key player in the transition to net zero
Our sister magazine Petroleum Economist’s launch in 1934 coincided with one of the most calamitous periods of hydrogen’s eventful history. The 1930s saw multiple attempts at long distance air travel by hydrogen airships, most of which ended in disaster. The airship era came to a tragic end in 1937 when Zeppelin’s Hindenburg caught fire while attempting to land in New Jersey. Some of the safety concerns raised by the infamous Hindenburg disaster linger in the public consciousness to this day, but they pale into insignificance compared to hydrogen’s vast new potential as a low-carbon energy vector for the global transition. Policymakers around the world have bold ambitions for hydrogen. Cu
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25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise
4 February 2026
Europe’s largest electrolyser manufacturers are losing patience with policymakers as sluggish growth in the green hydrogen sector undermines their decision to expand production capacity
2 February 2026
As a fertiliser feedstock, it is indispensable, but ammonia’s potential as a carbon-free energy carrier is also making it central to global decarbonisation strategies
