Energy regulators can manage hydrogen uncertainty with wide lens of awareness

This fact sheet from Energy Innovation outlines the challenges energy regulators face due to the uncertainty surrounding the development of the low-emissions hydrogen industry. It argues that regulators must adopt a proactive, holistic approach—looking beyond their immediate jurisdictional purview to include policy, emissions accounting, air pollution, and water usage—to ensure energy affordability, reliability, and safety while avoiding stranded assets.

• Energy regulators face a strategic dilemma where being too optimistic about hydrogen development risks approving investments that lead to stranded assets and increased customer costs, while being too reactive may hinder necessary industry growth.
• Hydrogen interacts with electricity systems as a new source of demand through electrolytic production, but it also offers potential for seasonal energy storage and demand flexibility to support wind and solar generation.
• Regarding natural gas systems, technical evidence indicates that hydrogen's ability to decarbonize low-temperature heat is very limited, particularly when blended into existing distribution networks.
• Hydrogen presents distinct safety risks compared to methane due to its chemical properties, requiring regulators to be vigilant about gas quality and the safety of repurposing natural gas infrastructure.
• The viability of hydrogen is influenced by external factors including emissions accounting schemes, which dictate the price and quantity of 'low-emissions' hydrogen, and environmental constraints such as NOx air pollution and regional freshwater availability.

APA

Energy Innovation (n.d.). Energy regulators can manage hydrogen uncertainty with wide lens of awareness. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Regulating-Hydrogen-fact-sheet.pdf

Chicago

Energy Innovation. Energy regulators can manage hydrogen uncertainty with wide lens of awareness. n.d. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Regulating-Hydrogen-fact-sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Energy Innovation |title=Energy regulators can manage hydrogen uncertainty with wide lens of awareness |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Regulating-Hydrogen-fact-sheet.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{energyinnovationndenergy, author = {{Energy Innovation}}, title = {{Energy regulators can manage hydrogen uncertainty with wide lens of awareness}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Regulating-Hydrogen-fact-sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }