Working Groups and Task Forces

working groups

The IPHE currently has two active Working Groups (WG):

Aims to share information on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, including the status, challenges, opportunities, and initiatives (particularly on policies and programs) across countries.
Engages in events and activities targeting a broad range of stakeholders including policy makers and government officials at the federal, state, regional and local levels, as well as stakeholders from academia, industry, non-governmental organizations, associations and other decision makers.
Convenes student education and outreach events in each country which hosts biannual IPHE Steering Committee meetings
Examples of activities include developing fact sheets, communiques, webinars, compilation of funding, programs and policies in each member country related to hydrogen and fuel cells, as well as a snapshot of hydrogen infrastructure by country and number of demonstrations and deployments for different applications.

Aims to share information, lessons learned and best practices with a focus on hydrogen safety, as well as the harmonization of codes and standards developed by relevant industry code and standards development organizations.
By coordinating at the government level, RD&D programs can be developed to address challenges, including regulatory barriers that may be identified through RCSS WG activities.
Examples of past activities include round robin testing and protocol dissemination for high pressure hydrogen storage tanks and development of templates to share infrastructure reliability and safety data across countries.
Foster dissemination of critical information to relevant stakeholders, particularly related to the safe production, distribution, storage and utilization of hydrogen.
Share incident databases and training resources for code officials and first responders among the countries to avoid duplication and leverage knowledge and resources. (e.g. www.H2tools.org and HIAD 2.0)
In May 2022, the Steering Committee approved the launch of two RCSSWG Task Forces, with task forces on critical topics:
- Maritime Regulations, Codes and Standards (RCS) Gaps and Risk Analysis - Areas of focus include maritime vessels operated by hydrogen, marine transport of hydrogen, and onshore/offshore bunkering; and
- Bulk Storage Risk, Gaps and Deployment Barriers - Perform an RCS gaps assessment and identify critical areas for R&D and for RCS changes to enable bulk storage.

Active Task Force(s):

Aims to trigger a process and take initial steps to develop a mutually agreed upon methodology for determining the greenhouse gas and other pollutants' emissions associated with the production of hydrogen (see Terms of Reference H2PA TF)
Application of this methodology will help facilitate the market valuation and international trade in ‘clean’ hydrogen by recommending a common approach established by several countries.
The adoption of any results is not mandatory and is subject to each member’s discretion, depending on each member’s circumstance.
Please see the IPHE Working Paper Methodology for Determining the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with the Production of Hydrogen Version 3 July 2023

The Hydrogen Certification Mechanisms Task Force (H2CM TF) aims at providing a deeper understanding of certification mechanisms, as well as a sound basis to support reaching consensus on implementing interoperable certification mechanisms (i.e. tradable, transparent, and trustworthy) across regions/countries for clean hydrogen, thus contributing to the rapid buildup of international clean hydrogen trade.
It will provide a summary of existing and emerging clean hydrogen certification mechanisms across the world. The summary will include the principles and the criteria they are relying on, among them GHG emissions, sustainability and social equity;
It will also provide a compare-and-contrast analysis on existing and emerging clean hydrogen certification mechanisms identified above with the assessment of common points between these clean hydrogen certification mechanisms that can be a solid basis to foster interoperability and, therefore, facilitate international clean hydrogen trade.
This activity is performed in close collaboration with the IEA H2 Technology Collaborative Platform Task 47 which is focusing on the technical and implementation aspects of certification mechanisms.

The hydrogen Skills task force (H2S TF) aims at enabling countries to streamline hydrogen skills development efforts through knowledge sharing to develop a database of hydrogen value chain skills and training, and to propose recommendations, in particular for new adopters, for building the foundation of a sustainable hydrogen workforce.
The database and associated report(s) are expected to be a resource for government, industry, international organizations (UN, international funding institutions and foundations, NGOs etc.) and training institutions in partner and non-partner countries.

Completed Task Force(s):

For hydrogen to be a practical solution in the energy transition, it must be available in sufficient volumes, at an acceptable cost, and with low or zero carbon emissions associated with its production and distribution. Achieving this will require hydrogen to be transported and traded internationally.
Aim is to examines the potential for future international hydrogen trade and identifies potential barriers, hurdles, and considerations to explore now to ensure appropriate future trading conditions. The discussion paper does not seek to make recommendations, set policy, or design trading frameworks. Instead, it identifies areas for further analysis and questioning, outlining potential opportunities to support market transparency and future large-scale international trade in hydrogen.
Please see the IPHE Discussion Paper Trade Rules for Hydrogen and its Carriers: Information and Issues for Consideration February 2022.