This report compares 17 certification schemes at global scale, adressing hydrogen and its derivatives. It presents the methodology and results, and introduces recommendations from the IPHE Hydrogen Certification Mechanisms Task Force.​

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This report follows the publication of the Hydrogen Certification 101 (a paper aiming at formulating definitions and descriptions of many terms and concepts relevant for hydrogen certification). The current version of the report compares a total of 17 certification schemes and 4 support mechanisms ​across 11 countries or regions.

 

4 key elements are considered:

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1. Product attributes

2. Operational setup and procedures

3. Chain of custody model

4. Information technology used for the registry

 

The comparison shows not only considerable variation in the availability of information but also considerable differences between the analysed certification schemes which can impede tradability of hydrogen. Whenever differences between schemes are expected to have a high impact on tradability, the report identifies options to improve tradability of certified hydrogen. Overall, the task force regards progress towards enabling tradability of certified hydrogen not as a continuous trajectory but as an incremental process, with the need to achieve a certain degree of commonality within a key element in order to have measurable improvements in tradability.

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The report proposes a modular approach to address the differences between requirements, entailing a number of common modules with 2 options:

• a simpler option with fewer items agreed upon in the common modules

• a more ambitious option with a more comprehensive agreement on the content within common modules.

Both approaches could be implemented in the form of a digital product passport for hydrogen and its derivatives that contains or is linked to the necessary information.

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Finally, the report highlights potential interactions between hydrogen certification schemes and other up and downstream certification schemes, such as schemes for electricity and steel.

 

The full Report on Comparison of Certification Schemes is available here.

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