On September 29, the event ‘H₂ and Vector Fuels Policy Forum 2026’ took place online as part of the Task “Policy Briefs for Hydrogen and Its Vector Fuels”, under the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Technology Collaboration Programme on Sustainable Combustion.

The forum brought together international experts to discuss the current state and future prospects of the hydrogen economy, with a particular focus on H₂ supply chains, critical raw materials, infrastructure, and the development of hydrogen markets in Asia and Europe.

One of the contributions came from 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴 𝗧𝘀𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀, ERA Chair holder of the EXCELLEND project at the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Greece, with his presentation “Some Inconvenient Truths about the Hydrogen Economy.”

Some takeaways from the presentation:

The production of hydrogen is associated with relatively low thermodynamic efficiencies, and high cost. The goal is not the establishment of a hydrogen economy but the maximization of decarbonization on Earth. Therefore, if fossil fuels are used on a large scale to cover the demand for electricity in a country, implementing a hydrogen economy will lead to higher inefficiencies, costs, and CO2 emissions compared to other available options for the country. Countries that still use fossil fuels for electricity generation should first maximize their decarbonization before they start exporting hydrogen to other countries.

For those interested in exploring the topic further, Prof. Tsatsaronis’ paper ‘Some Inconvenient Truths about Decarbonization, the Hydrogen Economy, and Power-to-X Technologies’ provides a more detailed discussion of these issues: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121127