Working the futures: Preliminary results from the Nordic H₂ energy foresight

Hydrogen used as an energy carrier is generally accepted as a promising future replacement of fossil fuels, able to address the issues of environmental degradation and energy supply. The notion of the hydrogen economy has become a hot topic for decision-makers in government and industry all over the world.

Visions, actions and investments are paving various pathways to the hydrogen future, from economic world powers such as USA, Japan and EU to small nation states such as Iceland and Singapore. Likewise, the development of hydrogen economy, with hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources, is a long-term objective of the European research and development agenda.

However, there is still a debate about the various options and transition paths to make the hydrogen economy a reality in the long run. Since the 1970s, the EU has supported R&D in the area of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, but with far less funds than other world players. So if Europe wants to become a leading world player, it must intensify and align its efforts with national or regional R&D programmes, science communities and industry, and a European strategic research agenda.

The five Northern European countries have a long tradition of cooperation within research, education, innovation, and energy supply. This is a solid foundation for concerted action, but does not suffice in building strategic intelligence into Nordic R&D activities. Therefore a technology foresight exercise was launched in 2003 by 16 partner organisations, including R&D institutes, energy companies, and industry.

The aim is to build synergy and critical masses within selected areas of strategic importance to the hydrogen economy, and to position Nordic actions and alliances in a broader international context, in particular the European Research Area. The paper describes the background, design, and preliminary results attained in the Nordic hydrogen energy foresight.