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Adam Tooze: Why ‘Green Hydrogen’ Isn’t Just Hype

The renewable energy source shows promise, but there are major technological and commercial obstacles to using it more.

By , a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.
An employee of Air Liquide stands in front of an electrolyzer at the company's future hydrogen production facility of renewable hydrogen in Oberhausen, Germany.
An employee of Air Liquide stands in front of an electrolyzer at the company's future hydrogen production facility of renewable hydrogen in Oberhausen, Germany.
An employee of Air Liquide stands in front of an electrolyzer at the company's future hydrogen production facility of renewable hydrogen in Oberhausen, Germany, on May 2. Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

The global market for “green hydrogen” was worth $676 million in 2022 and is projected to reach $7.3 billion by 2027. But that flow of money has mostly escaped public attention so far. Among experts, it’s acknowledged that green hydrogen could be a critical source of energy paving the way toward a carbon-neutral economy. But it could also be an overhyped bubble destined to pop.

Cameron Abadi is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @CameronAbadi

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