Affordable renewable and low-carbon hydrogen is globally available by 2030 – Hydrogen Breakthrough Goal

1. Governments working together through the international initiatives involved in the Hydrogen Breakthrough need to urgently present a well-articulated plan that defines resource needs for the development and implementation of a comprehensive portfolio of national and international standards for hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels. Governments and businesses should provide financial and human resources in line with that plan to ensure the development of that portfolio. Governments should facilitate regulatory interoperability by committing to adopt, or ensuring consistency with, globally recognised international standards, such as the ones developed by the ISO Methodology, in their regulations, which is an important step to support the process of mutual recognition of certification schemes. Governments should anticipate building technical capacity of their national systems to verify compliance with international hydrogen standards.
2. Governments and companies should co-ordinate internationally to increase commitments for the use of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels, particularly in sectors where hydrogen is already used, supported by the implementation of specific policies and the signing of solid purchase agreements, to collectively send a strong demand signal and mobilise investment in production. In new priority application sectors, countries should share learnings to accelerate early deployment. This should be done in a manner that ensures a level playing-field in international trade.
3. Governments and companies should work together to dramatically increase the number and geographical distribution of demonstration projects for hydrogen use and to ensure that these appropriately cover each of hydrogen’s high-value end-use sectors, including maritime shipping, heavy industry and long-duration energy storage. Governments and the private sector should agree on minimum reporting principles to guide a deeper and more rapid sharing of knowledge among these demonstration projects and with the broader stakeholder community, including a commitment to share the lessons learnt from all publicly funded demonstration projects.
4. Governments, MDBs, DFIs and relevant technical partners should work to deliver and scale up support by financing instruments and de-risking mechanisms, particularly for viable projects that are being delayed by high costs of capital and other obstacles to investment. This should include appropriate and co-ordinated technical and financial assistance, particularly in developing countries, to assist governments with policy design.