Europe’s Premier Research Organization Biased On Hydrogen
The EU’s Joint Research Center is funded by the EU to be independent, unbiased and rigorous in their analysis yet fail badly
Another day, another review of a major hydrogen for energy report which doesn’t stand up to the slightest scrutiny. Unfortunately, this one is from the EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), its science and knowledge service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to European Union policy.
Policymakers who read the splash page or policy brief would be left with the impression that green hydrogen could be manufactured and piped from Ukraine or northern Africa for a combined cost per kilogram of perhaps €3. A close read, the use of realistic assumptions, and comparisons to much more credible reports makes it clear that industrial hydrogen delivery would cost closer to €8 / kg before taxes or profits and transportation hydrogen would cost around €14 / kg before taxes or profits. The report’s summaries present only the rosiest portions of a study which intentionally reduced primary cost assumptions to arrive at cheap imported hydrogen.
This report was a deep disservice to policy discussions in Europe and clearly not aligned with the…
