Green Hydrogen Standard Committee

The Committee advises the GH2 Board on the implementation and elaboration of the Green Hydrogen Standard.

Additional details and draft terms of reference are here. 

The Committee includes diverse representation from GH2 supporters, partner organisations and stakeholders. GH2 would like to thank the following Committee members for their expert advice and input:

  • Ahmed Hafez, Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Egypt
  • Alain Kilajian, Hydropower Sustainability Alliance
  • Anna Freeman, Clean Energy Council Australia
  • Anuraag Nallapaneni, WRI India
  • Claire Behar, Hy Stor
  • Ernst Müller, Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa LLP
  • Erwin Cornelis, ECOS
  • Gagan Reddy, ProClime
  • Geert Decock, Transport & Environment
  • Hammad Masood, ACWA Power
  • Heino von Meyer, PtX Hub
  • Hemant Mallya, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, India
  • Ilka-Rose Mitchell, Fortescue Future Industries
  • Johanna Friese, TES
  • Mahandra Rooplall, Industrial Development Corporation
  • Matthew Tinari, EverWind Fuels
  • Matthias Deutsch, Agora Energiewende
  • Mohamed Hafez, Egyptian Electricity Holding Company.
  • Paul Gleeson, Aurecon
  • Paul Wambugu, KenGen, Kenya
  • Prof. Liu Yunhui, Tsinghua University
  • Rachel Fakhry, Natural Resources Defense Council
  • Rajan Varshney, NTPC
  • Ricardo Gedra, Câmara de Comercialização de Energia Elétrica
  • Sachin Kulshreshtha, Avina clean energy
  • Scott Hamilton, Hydrogen Australia
  • Someshwer Dutt Sharma, Avaada Group
  • Sonja Butzengeiger-Geyer, Perspectives Climate Group GmbH
  • Subhash Kumar, ACME
  • Tim Hard, Argus Media
  • Ulrike Hinz, WWF, Germany
     

We are also indebted to the many technical experts that have participated in working group meetings. 

Stakeholders wishing to join the Committee are invited to contact GH2 via: sam.bartlett@gh2.org.

 

In 2024 the Committee will review: 

  1. Case studies of Green Hydrogen Sustainability Leadership. Throughout 2024 GH2 will be documenting how green hydrogen project developers are addressing sustainability challenges, e.g., on renewable electricity sourcing and grid impact assessment, water resource management, community consultation and hydrogen leakage. These issues are often neglected in hydrogen standards and certification, but are crucial for securing support from customers, investors, banks, regulators and host communities. 
  2. Working toward Full Life Cycle emissions accounting, including embodied GHG emissions. The GHS 2.0 states: “GH2 is committed to the full life cycle analysis (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions associated with green hydrogen production and [use], including embedded emissions. Our emissions thresholds for green hydrogen and green ammonia are currently based on a “well to gate” methodology in line with the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE 2023). The GHS also expects project operators to calculate and report on the emissions associated with the storage, conversion and delivery of hydrogen and its derivatives and encourages project operators to calculate and report on embodied emissions. … The expectation is that the boundaries of the emissions assessment framework will be widened to cover a full life cycle assessment, and that the emissions thresholds will be lowered in accordance with emerging best practice.” This work will be challenging. There are different views on the methods that should be applied for calculating embodied GHG emissions, and a wide range of estimates for renewable electricity and hydrogen production infrastructure. 
  3. Hydrogen emissions. The Working Group that formed in 2023 will continue its work on best practice relating to: (1) evaluating the risks associated with hydrogen emissions, (2) develop plans to minimize emissions; and (3) establishing systems to measure and report on hydrogen emissions. The group will revisit whether to establish a maximum threshold for hydrogen emissions within the system boundary covered by the Standard.
  4. Guidance on water resource management. There is strong demand from project developers for more support and guidance relating to water resource management. The Working Group that formed in 2023 will continue its work on desalination, groundwater extraction, cooling and wastewater treatment, especially in contexts where there are weakness in national regulation.  

 

Background

The Green Hydrogen Standard was proposed in 2021. GH2 subsequently formed a Technical Committee to advise the GH2 Board on the design of the Standard.

When the Standard was adopted and launched in May 2022, the GH2 Board agreed to formalize this consultative process by establishing a Green Hydrogen Standard Committee.

In Q1 2023 the Committee GHS formed six working groups:

  • WG 1 – Measuring GHG emissions from transportation, storage and distribution. An IPHE methodology addressing transport and storage is not expected until late 2023. However guidance on this matter is needed immediately, not least for projects seeking recognition as “renewable hydrogen” as per the EU delegated acts on RFNBOs. Accordingly, GH2 is preparing a protocol for review by the working group drawing on existing best practice, including ISO 14083:2023 Quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions arising from transport chain operations and the Smart Freight Centre/WBCSD guidance on End-to-End GHG Reporting of Logistics Operations. 
  • WG 2 – Green Methanol. The Working Group is reviewing the use of biomass conversion with carbon capture and the safeguards that should apply to avoid negative social and environmental impacts (direct and indirect). 
  • WG 3 – Green / Renewable/Synthetic Methane. A key challenge is that the Green Hydrogen Standard (in accordance with the IPHE framework) uses a “well to gate” system boundary. Synthetic methane projects require the coverage of methane transportation and ATR (or methane distribution and decentralised CCS). It’s an example the highlights the importance of a modular approach to accreditation and certification. 
  • WG 4 – Data standards for renewable electricity certification, including additionality, time matching, bidding zones. The WG is considering options for operators to address additionality, matching and geographic correlation, noting that there many different systems and standards for REC and EAC tracking. 
  • WG 5 – Fugitive hydrogen emissions. The WG is reviewing draft provisions that would require project operators to: (1) evaluate the risks associated with fugitive hydrogen emissions, (2) develop a plan to minimize emissions; and (3) establish systems to monitor and measure fugitive hydrogen emissions. The WG will also consider establishing a maximum threshold for fugitive hydrogen emissions within the system boundary covered by the Standard. 
  • WG 6 - Guidance on water resource management. The WG will review lessons learned from piloting of the GHS, including issues relating to groundwater extraction, cooling and wastewater treatment. 
     

For more information, contact Sam Bartlett (Sam.Bartlett@gh2.org)