Forschungsinstitut für
Nachhaltigkeit | am GFZ

Seminar

From Hype to Trust: Building the Rules, Standards, and Safety Protocols for Clean Hydrogen

27.04.2026 10:00−17:00 Uhr
Hoffnungsträger für die Dekarbonisierung: Grüner Wasserstoff, der mit Strom aus erneuerbaren Ressourcen hergestellt wird.
Hoffnungsträger für die Dekarbonisierung: Grüner Wasserstoff, der mit Strom aus erneuerbaren Ressourcen hergestellt wird.

Clean hydrogen is moving from pilot projects to large-scale deployment, but bottlenecks are no longer only technological – they are regulatory, standardisation, and safety-related. Policymakers, industry, and financiers face fragmented frameworks across countries and regions, slowing investment and cross-border trade. Without harmonised standards, certification schemes, and clear safety protocols, hydrogen risks becoming a patchwork market, undermining cost competitiveness and public trust.

This seminar explores how regulations, standards, and safety interlink and what is needed to build a robust, trusted hydrogen economy. The logical flow is as follows: regulations set the enabling framework, standards ensure interoperability and credibility across borders, and safety builds public trust and operational resilience. Together, they are the triple foundation for scaling clean hydrogen.

Please click here to view the event flyer.

Registration link :  https://indico.un.org/event/1018909/registrations/23553/

PROGRAMME
10:00WELCOME ADDRESS & INTRODUCTION
 KEYNOTE SPEECH
 SESSION 1: REGULATIONS
 
  • Do today’s hydrogen policies accelerate or slow down investment – and why?
  • If you could change one regulation tomorrow to speed hydrogen adoption, what would it be?
  • How can regulatory frameworks better align across borders to enable cost-effective hydrogen trade?
 Discussion: What regulatory certainty is required to unlock investment?
12:30   LUNCH
 SESSION 2: SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS
 
  • How can sustainability standards ensure transparent and credible hydrogen certification across regions?
  • What role should lifecycle emissions accounting play in defining ‘clean’ hydrogen?
  • How can standards evolve to remain technology-neutral while ensuring environmental integrity?
 Discussion: How can harmonised sustainability standards support global market formation?
COFFEE AND NETWORKING
 SESSION 3: SAFETY STANDARDS
 
  • How can safety frameworks enable public and stakeholder trust in hydrogen technologies?
  • What role do harmonised standards play in scaling hydrogen production, transport, and storage?
  • How can safety management systems evolve with new hydrogen technologies and business models?
 Discussion: How can strong safety frameworks reinforce trust and scalability?
17:00   CLOSING REMARKS

Contact

Prof. Dr. Rainer Quitzow

Forschungsgruppenleiter
rainer [dot] quitzow [at] rifs-potsdam [dot] de
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