Experts say that misunderstanding is holding back the adoption of hydrogen fuel technologies. 

Investment in the hydrogen economy is accelerating at unprecedented rates, but a large misalignment between industry and community is holding Australia back from effective adoption, according to a new study.

The industry assumes that the population is concerned about the safety of hydrogen, and the potential repeat of incidents such as the Hindenburg disaster. 

However, the study shows that communities are much more driven by their personal future and greenhouse gas concerns. 

The wider public do not generally have a detailed understanding about the technical information associated with hydrogen, but this is not impacting public trust in those working with hydrogen.

Instead, climate change, the environment, and future generations are most important as people hope to reduce the impact of slow renewable energy adoption.

The study by Swinburne University of Technology’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2) offers some promising solutions, highlighting how communities are under-utilised and should be treated as valuable resources, rather than objects to be managed. 

The experts say that their suggestions, such as collaborative frameworks and fostering an integrated and empathetic relationship between stakeholders, can enable innovative and collaborative hydrogen energy developments to create a more sustainable future.

“We’ve found that often, community members wanted to understand why hydrogen was a good idea and how it contributes towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” says Victorian Hydrogen Hub Social Licence Adjunct Research Fellow Dr Kim Beasy.

“Industry seemed to jump straight to technicalities of the technology such as safety in their perceptions of what the community want to know about. 

“Clearly, we need to better understand how industry and community can work productively together to ensure that the renewable energy sector continues to grow.

“If industry stakeholders can see themselves as community members too, this could go some way toward reducing the ‘us against them’ situation that often evolves during development projects. 

“I hope that this research helps the way that stakeholders think about hydrogen differently and shows them that this matters,” Dr Beasy says.