In the green? Perceptions of hydrogen production methods among the Norwegian public

This article presents findings from a representative survey, fielded through the Norwegian Citizen Panel, examining public perceptions of hydrogen fuel and its different production methods. Although several countries, including Norway, have strategies to increase the production of hydrogen fuel, our results indicate that hydrogen as an energy carrier, and its different production methods, are still unknown to a large part of the public. A common misunderstanding seems to be confusing ‘hydrogen fuel’ in general with environmentally friendly ‘green hydrogen’. Results from a survey experiment (N = 1906) show that production method is important for public acceptance. On a five-point acceptance scale, respondents score on average 3.9 for ‘green’ hydrogen, which is produced from renewable energy sources. The level of acceptance is significantly lower for ‘blue’ (3.2) and ‘grey’ (2.3) hydrogen when respondents are informed that these are produced from coal, oil, or natural gas. Public support for hydrogen fuel in general, as well as the different production methods, is also related to their level of worry about climate change, gender, and political affiliation. Widespread misunderstandings regarding ‘green’ hydrogen production could potentially fuel public resistance as new ‘blue’ or ‘grey’ projects develop. Our results indicate a need for clearer communication from the government and developers regarding production methods to avoid distrust and potential public backfire.publishedVersio

Review of Current Risk Assessment Framework in Gaseous Hydrogen Refuelling Stations with Suggestions of Improvement based on New Perspectives in Risk

During the energy evolution currently undertaken, hydrogen has emerged as a potential energy carrier among others in transportation sector. However, assuring safety of the relevant infrastructure is a prerequisite to the adoption of hydrogen as a day-to-day road fuel. This thesis reviews risk assessments in hydrogen storage and distribution infrastructure, focusing in specific in hydrogen refueling stations, and sets as ulterior goal to suggest a risk assessment framework for the design and operation of the latter. Traditional risk assessments with their limitations are reviewed. Focus is placed on recent perspectives in risk, combining the probability based thinking anticipated in traditional risk assessments with qualitative approaches. One such framework is introduced and its practical features summarized in strength of knowledge characterizations and consideration of surprises, are presented and further analyzed. Using a case study stressing the limitations of existent methodologies, reflected in ISO/TS 19880-1: 2016, a new approach while assessing risks in hydrogen refueling stations is suggested. That is the implementation of the new integrative framework. In the rationale of cautious thinking, it is suggested that risk evaluation and treatment, currently based in probabilistic RAC alone, is changed such that it also reflects on the strength of knowledge upon which those criteria are based. The operation of an exclusive hydrogen database is awaited to contribute to the characterization of the knowledge the overall analysis is based on, and therefore the knowledge supporting risk acceptance as well. The contribution of this type of database in hydrogen refueling station risk assessments can be summarized in two broad dimensions; enabling statistical calculations on one hand, and providing the risk analysts with valuable input for the strength of knowledge characterization and the surprise assessment on the other.submittedVersio

The Role of Safety in the Framing of the Hydrogen Economy by Selected Groups of Stakeholders

While the international discourse on the hydrogen economy tends to focus on the importance of enabling the transition from fossil to renewable energy sources and the prospects for innovation and value creation, the communication concerning the implications for safety and risk is less consistent and often ambiguous. The safety-related properties of hydrogen imply that it is not straightforward to achieve the same level of safety for hydrogen systems, compared to similar systems using conventional fuels. Considering the long-term impact severe accidents may have on public perception, and the deployment of hydrogen technologies in society, the present study explores the framing of hydrogen safety by key stakeholders in the hydrogen ecosystem. This paper focuses on strategy documents published by selected intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), public private partnerships (PPPs), and other organisations engaged in the emerging hydrogen technologies. The methodology entails text analysis supported by a list of qualifying questions, following an approach developed as part of a previous study on national strategies. Compared to the results obtained for the national strategies, the framing of hydrogen safety by IGOs and PPPs is more diverse: the messages conveyed reflect the missions and visions of the organisations, and hence the context in which the source documents were produced. Furthermore, there is alarmingly low emphasis on vital aspects of hydrogen safety in the industry-driven roadmaps and policy guides. The overall results indicate a consistent lack of emphasis on the consequences of accidents and a persistent bias towards procedural and organisational measures of risk reduction.publishedVersio