Coupling green hydrogen production to community benefits: a pathway to social acceptance?

Date

2024-02-23

Supervisor/s

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

Department

Type

Article

ISSN

2214-6296

Format

Free to read from

Citation

Gordon JA, Balta-Ozkan N, Haq A, Nabavi SA. (2024) Coupling green hydrogen production to community benefits: a pathway to social acceptance?. Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 110, April 2024, Article number 103437

Abstract

Hydrogen energy technologies are forecasted to play a critical supporting role in global decarbonisation efforts, as reflected by the growth of national hydrogen energy strategies in recent years. Notably, the UK government published its Hydrogen Strategy in August 2021 to support decarbonisation targets and energy security ambitions. While establishing techno-economic feasibility for hydrogen energy systems is a prerequisite of the prospective transition, social acceptability is also needed to support visions for the ‘hydrogen economy’. However, to date, societal factors are yet to be embedded into policy prescriptions. Securing social acceptance is especially critical in the context of ‘hydrogen homes’, which entails replacing natural gas boilers and hobs with low-carbon hydrogen appliances. Reflecting the nascency of hydrogen heating and cooking technologies, the dynamics of social acceptance are yet to be explored in a comprehensive way. Similarly, public perceptions of the hydrogen economy and emerging national strategies remain poorly understood. Given the paucity of conceptual and empirical insights, this study develops an integrated acceptance framework and tests its predictive power using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Results highlight the importance of risk perceptions, trust dynamics, and emotions in shaping consumer perceptions. Foremost, prospects for deploying hydrogen homes at scale may rest with coupling renewable-based hydrogen production to local environmental and socio-economic benefits. Policy prescriptions should embed societal factors into the technological pursuit of large-scale, sustainable energy solutions to support socially acceptable transition pathways.

Description

Software Description

Software Language

Github

Keywords

Domestic hydrogen acceptance, Green hydrogen, Energy transitions, Hydrogen economy, Partial least squares structural equation modelling, Importance-performance map analysis

DOI

Rights

Attribution 4.0 International

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Relationships

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