Political dilemmas of hydrogen energy

Abstract

THE PURPOSE. To consider the trends in the field of hydrogen energy through the prism of political science. To describe the main trends and political implications for decarbonizing energy and building a carbon-neutral economy with a special role for hydrogen. To refer to the key sectoral documents of the European Union and Russia in the field of hydrogen energy in order to assess the ongoing changes and assess the prospects for Russian energy policy, taking into account the fact that Russia is one of the main suppliers of hydrocarbons, primarily natural gas to Europe. METHODS. In solving this goal, we applied a research approach and analytical technique - the method of discourse analysis of strategic documents, scientific publications and mass media. RESULTS. The article describes the relevance of the topic, considers the decarbonization policy as the most important driver of the energy transition, where it is about hydrogen as the dominant energy carrier in the world, and monitoring studies of the World Energy Council and the International Renewable Energy Agency. The study analyzes the strategic documents of the European Union and Russia in the field of hydrogen energy. CONCLUSION. In the long term, the role of hydrogen in the global energy system may be comparable to the role currently played by gas and coal. The “green” agenda in the global energy associated with decarbonization and building carbon-neutral economies with a special role for hydrogen is not only new challenges, but also new opportunities for Russia's energy policy.