Bureau Veritas says pv magazine that there is a lot of interest in hydrogen certification systems in Europe, Australia, the United States and the Middle East.
The company did not provide exact figures, but said that various entities from Europe, Australia, the United States and the Middle East have expressed interest in certification.
“Many operators see independent certification as a way to demonstrate to their respective regulators the carbon footprint of their green hydrogen production, supporting claims for government incentives for green hydrogen production and also making their projects bankable with investors,” Rajiv Sabharwal. Director of Business Development and Energy at Bureau Veritas North America, said pv magazine.
The French company evaluates renewable hydrogen production resources based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, but also takes into account safety processes and greenhouse gas emissions.
“It also assesses the renewable energy used to power the electrolyser,” Sabharwal added. “The biggest differentiating factor of the system is its safety assessment, in addition to the life cycle assessment of the carbon footprint of green hydrogen, which aims to facilitate global hydrogen trade with a unified definition of renewable hydrogen.”
He said North America will become an important hub for the production, consumption and export of clean hydrogen thanks to incentive schemes in place in the US. He added that midstream infrastructure and electrolyzers require significant investment.
“The industry is challenged by lack of harmonized regulations, supply chain issues and availability of skilled manpower,” Sabharwal said. “It will require extensive investment to solve this problem over the next 10 years.”
Bureau Veritas said the final step in its plan is to issue the labels after verifying the amount of hydrogen produced by certified assets.
“The label stipulates that the carbon footprint of the property must be less than 2 kg of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of hydrogen,” the company said. “Hydrogen production and renewable electricity supply must be checked quarterly to maintain the label.”
