Fifteen Eighty Four

Hydrogen is the next big energy revolution that will help to decarbonize certain sectors of our society, in particular those (heavy industry, heavy duty transport, etc.) that are hard to `green´. There is no shortage of books on hydrogen — the technicalities, physics, chemics and economics behind it. But one of the key bottlenecks for large scale usage of hydrogen has not yet been addressed sufficiently: the legal and regulatory frameworks. While technicians have solutions for various hydrogen-related issues, the legal framework is currently still under development. The underdeveloped knowledge on hydrogen regulation can wreak havoc on business cases and new hydrogen projects, and it has become a mission for academics to change that. The hydrogen economies of the future depend on the development of clear legal frameworks, but also on clear explanations about the current situation.

The recently published Cambridge Handbook of Hydrogen and the Law is filling a real knowledge gap.  It is the first to provide a truly global overview of hydrogen regulation from the most relevant regions for hydrogen of the world. Moreover, there are many countries and regional organizations around the globe that may provide best-practice examples for certain elements of the hydrogen-chain, the knowledge about which can be beneficial for other countries. Finding and discussing these best practices constitutes a particular focal point of this book.

Innovative is the multi- and interdisciplinary character in which each thematic section is designed. Amongst the list of authors are legal, but also leading non-legal, experts working together on the respective aspects of hydrogen, explaining the technical or economic or other challenges that arise in practice and the linkages to law.

The book addresses several questions, both systematic and pragmatic. Systematic questions include (but are not limited to): if hydrogen is an energy carrier that couples the gas and electricity sectors, how much legal system integration is required to follow-up? How can natural gas exporting countries transition to hydrogen nations? Which types of hydrogen are desired in these transitions and how does law currently steer decisions on that question? What are the regulatory criteria to establish sustainability of hydrogen supplies? Should a support mechanism be designed (subsidies, blending quotas or else) and can / should it be done in a way to not distort nascent markets?

But there are also a number of practical questions that need to be answered. How can current natural gas infrastructure be repurposed for hydrogen and which authorizations are required for that? How may gas quality standards for hydrogen be harmonized to facilitate cross-border trade? With a view to green hydrogen, the concrete permitting regime for building electrolysers needs to be looked into, as there currently are no authorization procedures specifically designed for these. And with a view to end-use, where should we first focus efforts, as hydrogen will not be readily available in the required quantities? Should the transport sector or the housing/heating sector be first decarbonized? Is energy storage the solution for the future?

The delivery of this handbook as an open access publication makes it possible for everybody to find answers on these questions and have access to the knowledge encapsulated in this reference work. In that way, all actors and stakeholders of the `hydrogen revolution´ can gain crucial insights. While edited works are often mainly of interest to scholars and other members of the academic community, this particular Handbook receives interest from the private sector, investors, law firms but also Regulators as well as Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations. To ensure the needs of such a broad range of readers are met, the book is written by a large variety of authors: academics, industry lawyers, lawyers working for NGOs as well as such working for international institutions. Ultimately, the knowledge gap about the regulation of hydrogen is so wide and interest in the topic so big, that a comprehensive treatise of the subject was desperately needed — it is available now!