Neue Veröffent­lichung "Hydrogen Economy Index - A comparative assessment of the political and economic perspective in the MENA region for a clean hydrogen economy"

The publication "Hydrogen Economy Index - A comparative assessment of the political and economic perspective in the MENA region for a clean hydrogen economy" by Jakob Baumgarten, Prof. Dominik Möst and Christian P. Schneider assesses the development of a sustainable hydrogen economy in the MENA region.

The article analyzes the factors influencing the development of a hydrogen economy in the MENA region through a multi-criteria, index-based approach using the PESTEL methodology. The developed hydrogen index is divided into three dimensions and takes into account economic, political, regulatory, technological and environmental criteria to systematically assess the regional framework conditions.

The results show that the Gulf states, followed by the North African countries, have the highest potential for a hydrogen transformation, while politically unstable MENA states achieve the lowest ratings. Detailed regional analyses were carried out in order to compare the results with national strategies and project announcements. The hydrogen index was validated by comparing it with existing indices. With a reduced number of criteria, comparable results are provided, making the index more transparent, reproducible and providing a basis for scientific discussion (Occam's Razor principle). For the construction of a hydrogen index, the authors recommend a selection of region-specific core indicators in a targeted manner in order to ensure the meaningfulness and interpretability of an index.

The research approach was presented at the 3rd IAEE MENA Conference in December 2024.

The article was published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy and is available as open access at the following link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.11.345