G7 ministers responsible for climate and the environment have recognised the importance of renewable and low carbon hydrogen on the pathway to net zero.
On 21 May, G7 members released a statement following their virtual summit, making a series of commitments that will ensure climate, biodiversity and the environment are at the heart of a worldwide recovery from Covid-19. These include phasing out government funding for fossil fuel projects internationally, with an end to all new finance for coal power by the end of 2021, alongside increased support for clean energy alternatives, such as wind, solar and hydrogen.
On hydrogen specifically, the G7 are committed to stepping up efforts to advance commercial scale hydrogen from low carbon and renewable sources across their economies. This includes support for fuel cell deployment globally, helping to realise the development of a future international hydrogen market that creates jobs for both current and future workers within the energy sector.
Elsewhere, they have pledged to work to reduce emissions from key industrial processes through measures such as enhanced energy efficiency, fuel switching and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS). The G7 have acknowledged the importance of taking early action to decarbonise hard-to-abate industrial sectors and will target greater levels of innovation funding to lower the costs of industrial decarbonisation technologies. These include use of hydrogen, electrification, sustainable biomass, CCUS and synthetic fuels, such as ammonia and fuels made from hydrogen.
They are also committed to developing strategies and actions that enhance their focus on the security of innovative, clean, safe and sustainable energy technologies. Hydrogen was once more cited as an area of interest here, alongside system integration of variable renewable energy, energy storage, flexible power plants, demand side management, smart grids and related infrastructure, including the accommodation of sustainable biofuels and hydrogen as well.
