Book Chapter

The fundamental toolbox for analysing the development of a hydrogen economy

  • Francesco Gabrielli

This chapter provides the analytical framework for understanding the hydrogen economy across its entire value chain. It reviews hydrogen production pathways - from fossil-based to renewable methods - assessing their technological maturity, environmental impact, and cost competitiveness using indicators such as the Levelised Cost of Hydrogen. It then examines transport and storage options, including pipelines, repurposed gas networks, and alternative logistics solutions, highlighting technical constraints linked to hydrogen’s low density and high flammability. Finally, the chapter explores end-use applications across industry, transport, buildings, and power generation, introducing the “clean hydrogen ladder” to identify priority sectors for deployment.

  • Keywords:
  • Hydrogen Value Chain,
  • Levelised Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH),
  • Renewable Hydrogen Production,
  • Hydrogen Storage and Transport,
  • Clean Hydrogen Applications,
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PDF
  • Publication Year: 2026
  • Pages: 13-43
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
  • © 2026 Author(s)

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  • Publication Year: 2026
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
  • © 2026 Author(s)

Chapter Information

Chapter Title

The fundamental toolbox for analysing the development of a hydrogen economy

Authors

Francesco Gabrielli

Language

English

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-1013-3.03

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2026

Copyright Information

© 2026 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

The Multi-Purpose Nature of Hydrogen for Decarbonising the European Energy System

Book Subtitle

Integrated Scenarios and Future Challenges

Authors

Francesco Gabrielli

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

184

Publication Year

2026

Copyright Information

© 2026 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-1013-3

ISBN Print

979-12-215-1012-6

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-1013-3

Series Title

Premio Cesare Alfieri «Cum Laude»

Series ISSN

2612-8063

Series E-ISSN

2704-5730

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