A study on public acceptance of hydrogen portfolio standard for renewable energy expansion: Comparative analysis of hydrogen production mix plans

To reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve carbon neutrality, worldwide governments are establishing various policies and systems for the diffusion of renewable energy. Hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) is evaluated as a next-generation energy source as it can supplement the existing renewable energy sources, while providing stable energy supply and demand. To address low HFC generation share, the Korean government introduced the world's first Hydrogen Portfolio Standard (HPS) into the energy market, where public acceptance is crucial for the implementation of such policies. Thus, this study analyzed the public preference and acceptance for HPS through a discrete choice experiment. Although the public accepted the HPS itself, they preferred a higher proportion of fuel cell generation when the fuel cell was operated through clean hydrogen (blue/green hydrogen). Specifically, the marginal willingness to pay values for a 10% increase in fuel cell generation when changing from grey hydrogen to blue hydrogen or green hydrogen were estimated to be USD 1.94 and 2.97, respectively. Further, the acceptance of green hydrogen-based HPS rises along with the expansion in the HFC generation share. Thus, to expand the fuel cell generation in the national energy mix, transition to a clean hydrogen-based energy system should be attached.(c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.