Research project corresponding to the call 2024 and reference PID2024-157951OB-I00, for grants for «Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento».

Spain is called to be one of the key players in developing the European hydrogen society. This importance is highlighted in the Spanish Hydrogen Roadmap as well as in the recent revision of the Integrated National Plan for Energy and Climate. The ambitious deployment of hydrogen technologies expected in Spain will have important repercussions in our country.

In this context, the main objective of ProsConsHy is the development of a model to estimate the medium and long-term consequences of hydrogen technologies deployment in Spain, assessing not only the new hydrogen technologies entering the system but also the displaced technologies under environmental (improvement of the environmental footprint of the national energy system), economic (total system cost) and social (job creation, training needs, gender dimension, etc.) aspects. Such a novel model will be developed by the disruptive integration of power systems analysis, general equilibrium modelling, and life cycle sustainability assessment. Furthermore, the model will be translated into a roadmap, including different scenarios, that could guide the deployment of hydrogen technologies in Spain towards an environmentally friendly and socially responsible society in 2050.

In this sense, the ProsConsHy national roadmap for sustainable deployment of hydrogen technologies should serve as a reference document to a wide range of actors such as national energy planners and policy-makers, as well as decision-makers at the company level. The focus on affordable, environmentally sustainable and socially responsible (hydrogen) energy is strongly addressed in ProsConsHy through energy systems modelling and prospective, consequential life cycle sustainability assessment as an integrative framework that successfully translates scientific advancements into valuable social and economic impacts.

Overall, the innovative approach of the ProsConsHy project combines technology-level and macrosystem-level sustainability assessments providing a unique, comprehensive view of the sustainability implications of hydrogen technology deployment in Spain in the period 2030-2050, including for the first time the social and environmental impacts of displacing other technologies.

Partners: IMDEA Energy Institute

Funding Institution/Program: Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities/AEI – FEDER-UE / Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2024

Period: 01/09/2025 – 31/08/2029

IMDEA Energy Institute external funding: 143.750 €

IPs IMDEA Energy: Dr. Diego Iribarren / Dr. Javier Dufour