Actors' engagement in sustainable hydrogen energy innovation: a comparative analysis

Hydrogen energy is currently a major focus of a sustainable energy future across the world. Following a period of high expectations, prospects for a transition to hydrogen are now often presented in terms of the relative (short term) merits of hybrid and battery-electric verses hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Whilst in the longer term aspects of these competing technologies may prove synergistic, a more fundamental problem remains: which hydrogen production technologies and methods have foremost relevance to hydrogen energy innovation; how actors engage themselves to produce and deliver sustainable hydrogen and how effective are they. This research is commissioned in order to evaluate whether technology push or market pull is in effect, and to contrast challenges and drivers for hydrogen energy innovations. In this respect this study presents a comparative analysis between the UK and Japan.