Send message to Author

Short abstract:

Based on interviews, historical and literature analysis we present how the direction of public research at the chemistry/energy nexus is shaped by fragile techno-economic assessments of hydrogen's potential and how its future could be imagined otherwise in alternative political economic scenarios.

Long abstract:

Many transnational policy scenario’s leave no doubt: hydrogen will be a key energy technology for all net-zero scenarios of society. Critics do have doubts, in moderate terms about the use of hydrogen as ‘swiss knife’ to decarbonize all sectors, or in more fundamental terms about efficiency, material use and available renewable capacity. The hype, however, is real enough for the European Union to invest billions of public funding into hydrogen research and innovation as part of its green growth agenda: decarbonize society, save the climate and expand the economy. In this presentation, we ask through what mechanisms the political economic logic of green capitalism is shaping, and has shaped, public research agendas in chemistry. Ultimately, we explore alternative directions for hydrogen R&D based on heterodox economic thought, like degrowth.

First of all, based on an interview study with mid-career chemistry researchers at Dutch and Belgian public universities, we unpack how dominant expectations about future hydrogen costs and system integration shape to a significant extent the research agenda of academic science. Secondly, we explore histories and the construction of this techno-economic expertise, and situate this way of knowing in powerful socio-political institutions and networks. Lastly, we turn, briefly, to signs of alternative hydrogen futures in the current chemistry literature, by following a degrowth-informed technology assessment framework.

In line with the panel’s title, we thus explore not only the techno-economics of present hydrogen research, but also the politics of past expectations and the possible heterodox futures for hydrogen.