OECD-CEFIM Certification for facilitating international trade of green hydrogen webinar, 31 January 2023, OECD headquarters, Paris

1. RMI – Energy. Transformed.
Green Hydrogen
Certification
Enabling a Global Market
Thomas Koch Blank
Jan 2023
Graphics and insight from joint RMI/IRENA report

2. RMI – Energy. Transformed.
An international hydrogen market is needed for
domestic growth and climate alignment

3. RMI – Energy. Transformed.
Certification is required but not sufficient to enable
international trade
To account and verify green
hydrogen products, certification if
required. This alone is insufficient as:
• Implementation depends on
strong governance structures,
ease of use and cost of tracking
model
• Scaling adoption depends on
compatibility with existing
national policies and alignment
with end user needs
Critical
Elements
of
a
Differentiated
Market

4. RMI – Energy. Transformed.
H2 certification schemes are growing globally
Voluntary and Mandatory market
mechanisms exist for hydrogen production
certification.
Mandatory schemes set a benchmark that
all hydrogen production in their jurisdiction
must follow, while voluntary schemes are
optional.
Inconsistencies between these mechanisms,
particularly on technical components, may
lead to offtake confusion and compliance,
slowing development.
Map of organizations working on hydrogen certification (RMI/IRENA)

5. RMI – Energy. Transformed.
Alignment on technical components of a certification
scheme is recommended
The technical components of a certification scheme
are typically imbedded in a standard.
• Scope
• System Boundary
• Accounting Guidance
• Emissions Thresholds
• Product Labelling
Evaluation across these components of the published
certification schemes found large disparities
Push for a “single” standard is unlikely, but
harmonization can improve compatibility
Timeline of emerging and existing voluntary schemes and regulatory mechanisms
(RMI/IRENA)

6. RMI – Energy. Transformed.
The path forward requires action across the
supply chain
• Certifications schemes focused on production-side,
not on customer-side, which renders many of them
irrelevant for trade
• A "market norm" , for example based on emissions
threshold, to support commercial deals and
transactions would be groundbreaking, and
enable price formation and some consistency in
contract structures