EU-backed hydrogen certification initiative Certifhy has submitted its voluntary scheme for renewable fuel of non-biological origin (RFNBO) certification for approval by the European Commission. If granted, the certificates “will be an essential tool for economic operators willing to prove that hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives have been produced in compliance with EU [Renewable Energy Directive 2: Red 2] and Red 2 delegated acts criteria”, Certifhy says.

“With this new major milestone for Certifhy, we are rapidly progressing towards our ambition of becoming a major pure player in the field of hydrogen and e-fuels certification,” says Matthieu Boisson, Certifhy’s project coordinator.

“We are rapidly progressing towards our ambition of becoming a major pure player in the field of hydrogen and e-fuels certification” Boisson, Certifhy

Certifhy was initially established at the request of the European Commission and has been financed by the public-private Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its predecessors since 2014.

The EU has set strict criteria for what it will class as renewable hydrogen in order to qualify as a RFNBO and therefore count toward the bloc’s renewable energy targets. But while some industry groups warn the acts could make renewable hydrogen—particularly if produced within Europe—prohibitively expensive, the sector has broadly welcomed the regulatory certainty, with the next step being a clear mechanism of certification.

Harmonisation of certification between different jurisdictions is expected to be a major step towards establishing a globally traded market.

Certifhy is planning to run RFNBO certification pilots, executed in collaboration with a scheme-recognised certification body, with the aim of encompassing plants at different stages of maturity producing hydrogen and its derivatives both within and outside of Europe.

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Author: Polly Martin