Analysis of non-economic barriers for the deployment of hydrogen technologies and infrastructures in European countries

Hydrogen is an energy carrier which can be used to store variable renewable energy and face varying electricity demand and generation-driven fluctuations reducing the negative effects of the increasing share of renewables in the European energy mixes. The aim of this paper is to pinpoint and assess non-economic barriers (NEBs) that can slow down the deployment of hydrogen technologies and infrastructures in Europe. The method includes an expert opinion survey involving selected European experts to identify main NEBs, estimate their impacts, describe their effects, highlight suitable measures to overcome them and pinpoint hitches that make difficult to overtake them. Collecting the information gathered by written questionnaires and in-depth interviews of experts of almost all European countries, the obtained results provide an overall framework of main NEBs identifying the role of forthcoming policies and governmental actions to overcome each barrier. Lastly, preliminary exploitation strategies have been outlined for improving the utilization of hydrogen as an effective energy carrier for storing and to more efficiently use renewable energy produced in Europe.