This page was originally published on 08.11.2022. We have updated the radar and related texts and graphics on 09.04.2026.
Making sense of the momentum in the global hydrogen economy
Climate change and serious geopolitical concerns have made the need to wean advanced economies off fossil fuels abundantly clear. In the process, both private-sector interests and public policymakers are increasingly discovering the potential of hydrogen to advance the transition to a climate-friendly economy. However, staying on top of such a fast-moving market is no easy task.
Roland Berger has advised clients for over a decade on countless projects surrounding clean
hydrogen.
Our expertise ranges from crafting political concepts for governments and industry associations to developing strategies for all relevant sectors of industry.
The Clean Hydrogen Radar places our in-depth understanding of this dynamic market at your disposal in a clear and concise form. Distilled into sharply focused analyses, the insights we are gaining will keep decision-makers in industry and government up to speed on the latest developments as the hydrogen economy continues to accelerate.
What is the Clean Hydrogen Radar?
Roland Berger believes it is important for market players and market makers to grasp the strategic implications and direction of the
hydrogen economy.
The radar therefore takes a deep dive into the latest technological and commercial developments as well as relevant regulatory trends. Drawing on our international networks of experts, we cover developments in global key markets, breaking our analysis down into different segments:
Hydrogen strategies and national targets Government strategies and ambitions towards hydrogen adoption
Regulatory developments Regulatory developments influencing the adoption of hydrogen and derivatives
Upstream market Developments surrounding the production and supply of hydrogen and its derivatives
Midstream market Developments in the
transportation
and storage of hydrogen
Downstream market News on hydrogen demand and the many use cases along three sectors: Industry (e.g., steel, refining, chemicals), Mobility (e.g., fuel cell trucks, sustainable aviation fuels), Energy (e.g., hydrogen fueled heat and power plants)
In the quarterly radar, our experts analyze these developments, interpreting current events and bringing the bigger market picture clearly into focus. Obviously, a brief high-level summary alone cannot share the full wealth of Roland Berger’s market intelligence in this fascinating field. However, the Clean Hydrogen Radar will lay a firm foundation for strategic discussion with clients, government policymakers and the public at large – a discussion we expressly welcome!
Clean Hydrogen Radar
Highlights from the Q1 2026 update
The first quarter of 2026 was a dynamic period across the clean hydrogen sector, with further announcements of large-scale projects and new international policy and funding developments. However, despite these positive signs, negative signals for the market persisted, including policy uncertainty, delayed investments and a number of project cancellations. Key developments during Q1 included the following:
The EU signed final grant agreements with six renewable hydrogen projects in Finland, Spain and Norway under the second European Hydrogen Bank auction, allocating EUR 270.6 million to support around 380 MW of electrolysis capacity out of an originally planned EUR 1.2 billion budget.
The third European Hydrogen Bank auction drew strong interest, with 58 bids requesting a total of EUR 8.4 billion – six times the available budget of EUR 1.3 billion.
China announced subsidy packages worth up to USD 1.2 billion to support pilot clean hydrogen projects in designated regional clusters.
Repsol revised its 2030 green hydrogen target downward, now expecting to reach less than 1 GW of installed capacity.
Equinor cancelled its EU-backed 1 GW “H2M Eemshaven” blue hydrogen project in the Netherlands, citing policy uncertainty and funding gaps, while Plug Power abandoned its 120 MW green hydrogen plant in New York and agreed to sell the site to a data center developer.
Snam unveiled its plan to build a hydrogen pipeline network of almost 2,000 km across Italy, connecting south Italy with Austria and Switzerland.
Germany’s ministry for transportation announced subsidies of EUR 220 m for 40 new refueling stations and 400 additional H2-powered trucks.
Everfuel’s 20 MW green hydrogen plant went into operation for balancing the Danish grid.
Reliance Industries Limited signed an offtake agreement with Samsung C&T to supply ammonia with a value of USD 3 bn for 15 years starting in 2029.
Capacity forecast
Based on the latest developments, total announced green hydrogen production capacity stands at 440 GW by 2030. However, Roland Berger’s assessment, which uses a probabilistic model that accounts for project failure rates, expected cancellations and postponements, forecasts around 45-50 GW of installed electrolyzer capacity by 2030.
"Clean hydrogen is coming. It is an essential ingredient in the decarbonization agenda."
What does the future hold for the hydrogen economy?
Recent market developments and world events make it clear: Industry leaders and public policymakers need to keep a very close eye on how the clean hydrogen economy unfolds going forward. So stay tuned for our next update to the Clean Hydrogen Radar. But don’t just leave it at that: Reach out and engage with us in discussing what these developments mean for your strategy and your organization.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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