(135a) What Did I Actually Buy—Guarantees of Origin for Hydrogen

For many different products, a buyer cannot distinguish if a claim such as “Green Hydrogen” or “Renewable Energy” is true by inspecting the product. For electricity, it was realized that such certificates are an essential building block for market success. As a result, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) were conceived. A similar mechanism for products such as “Blue Hydrogen” or “Green Hydrogen” enables producers to capture the associated premium. This is especially important in the chemical industry due to its value chains that often span multiple production steps and legal entities. While such certificates were introduced in Europe about 20 years ago for electricity, the EU recently introduced “Guarantees of Origin” for hydrogen. This talk will demonstrate important elements of such certificates and potential pitfalls.