Hydrogen is seen as a key player in the energy transition – while simultaneously being the focus of intense debate, with some statements contradicting one another. In this context a new meta fact-check conducted by Fraunhofer ISI gathers findings on the topic of hydrogen which come from an analysis of more than 100 publicly accessible national and international fact checks.

A total of 774 individual statements were extracted, thematically arranged and condensed into 77 meta statements. The topics range from market ramp-up and infrastructure costs, industrial applications and water demand to emissions, technologies and global developments. Additional background research is used to verify the findings of the researcher team and check the plausibility of technological as well as economic connections.

In which areas will hydrogen become particularly relevant?

The analyses show hydrogen will play an important but application dependent role in the future energy system. Hydrogen plays a crucial role wherever direct electrification is constrained by physical or economic limits, such as in the steel or chemical industries as well as in international aviation and shipping. Pilot projects on hydrogen-based direct reduction of iron ore demonstrate the technical feasibility but also illustrate the dramatically increasing demand for renewable electricity and supporting infrastructure.

A further finding is that the structure of a high-performance hydrogen network is one of the biggest challenges. While pipelines are a cost-effective form of transport in the long term, their extension requires high investments at the same time as long term planning. According to the sources reviewed, a comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure for households is neither necessary nor economic viable.

Costs and energy efficiency remain crucial factors

On the topic of costs, the analyses underline that green hydrogen is currently even more expensive than fossil alternatives or directly electrifiable solutions. Even though many of the analyzed fact checks point to long term cost reductions through scaling effects and technological progress but the economic use depends very much on the use case. In the mobility sector, the long range and high-power density of hydrogen and fuel‑cell vehicles are compelling, whereas battery‑electric vehicles excel through their superior efficiency.

“Our analyses show that hydrogen can deliver substantial benefits in areas where no equivalent alternatives currently exist, but they also reveal that uncoordinated infrastructure development would waste valuable resources and time”, says Nils Bittner, principal author of the study at Fraunhofer ISI. “Expectation management is therefore important and an application-oriented prioritization of the research and development topics.”

Low water demand emissions very much dependent on the source

Further facts show that the demand for water for the electrolysis a very often overestimated in the public debate and is around 9-10 liters per kilogram of hydrogen. When it comes to emissions, it should be noted that green hydrogen can already be produced in an almost climate-neutral way, whereas grey hydrogen accounts for around two percent of global CO₂ emissions. Blue hydrogen can reduce emissions, but it remains controversial due to residual emissions and methane leakages.

In conclusion, the meta fact-check shows that hydrogen is neither a universal solution nor merely a niche technology but a targeted building block of the energy transition to reach climate neutrality. Director of the study Nils Bittner summarizes: “The key will be to use available hydrogen volumes where they deliver the greatest benefit, and to build and expand the necessary infrastructure, international partnerships and renewable electricity capacities. Despite ongoing and often heated debates about potential applications, there is broad consensus that hydrogen is highly relevant for the energy transition- an assessment supported by our findings.”

The results of the analysis “The synthesis and Evaluation of Over 100 Fact-Checks. Hydrogen Facts: A Systematic Review” is available both as a comprehensive PDF Report and as an interactive, easy-to-understand Website (“Hydrogen Knowledge à la carte”). They provide basic knowledge on the topic of hydrogen and can be used in a variety of ways (for example, by companies, media outlets, educational institutions, etc.).

The “H2-Companion” research project provides scientific support to the two hydrogen model regions “H2-Wandel” and “H2-GeNeSiS”, with a particular emphasis on fostering sustainable economic, environmental and social development within the regions. Together these initiatives receive more than 48 million euros in funding through the “Green Hydrogen Model Region” program of the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Sector of Baden-Württemberg. The funding is provided through a combination of the resources from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and state funds.