Science

Green Hydrogen Timeline 1800-2026: Electrolysis to $130B

Green hydrogen is made by splitting water with renewable electricity, so no fossil fuel is used as feedstock. The science dates to 1800. By September 2026 more…

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THE $130 BILLION TEST

Committed investment tops $130 billion as the 2030 pipeline shrinks

On 10 September 2026 the Hydrogen Council reported committed clean-hydrogen investment above $130 billion across 570-plus projects and about 6.9 Mt/year of committed cap…

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THE CANCELLATION WAVE

Flagship green hydrogen and green steel projects are shelved

ArcelorMittal shelved plans to convert two German steel plants to hydrogen despite about 1.3 billion euros of offered subsidy. Fortescue dropped its 15-Mt-by-2030 ambiti…

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INDIA COMMITS; CHINA BUILDS

India approves its Green Hydrogen Mission; China starts the largest green-H2 pl…

In January 2023 India's Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with a 19,744 crore rupee outlay and a target of at least 5 million tonnes a year of c…

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HYDROGEN AS INDUSTRIAL POLI…

The US IRA and REPowerEU move money from grants to per-kilogram support

The US Inflation Reduction Act created the 45V production tax credit of up to $3 per kg. The EU's REPowerEU plan set goals of 10 Mt of domestic renewable-hydrogen produc…

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THE ANNOUNCEMENT BOOM

The EU targets 40 GW of electrolysers and dozens of national strategies follow

The EU published its Hydrogen Strategy in July 2020, targeting 40 GW of renewable-hydrogen electrolysers by 2030. Dozens of countries followed with national strategies,…

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PARIS CHANGES THE QUESTION

The Paris Agreement shifts focus to hard-to-abate industry

Nearly 200 countries agreed to hold warming well below 2 degrees. Attention turned to sectors where electrification is difficult, such as steel, cement, chemicals, shipp…

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INDUSTRIAL ELECTROLYSIS

Norway runs large hydro-powered electrolysers for fertiliser

Norsk Hydro operated large alkaline water electrolysers powered by hydroelectricity in Norway to make hydrogen for ammonia and fertiliser, at outputs measured in tens of…

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THE FIRST FUEL CELL

William Robert Grove builds a gas voltaic battery

William Robert Grove demonstrated a device that combined hydrogen and oxygen to generate an electric current, effectively electrolysis run in reverse. Christian Friedric…

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ELECTROLYSIS BEGINS

Nicholson and Carlisle split water with an electric current

Within weeks of Alessandro Volta announcing the electric pile, William Nicholson and Anthony Carlisle passed its current through water and saw hydrogen and oxygen form a…

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