Development strategies for the green hydrogen economy in emerging economies

Fabianna Bacil Lourenço Ferreira, Anthony Black, Marina Domingues, Jun Jin, Rasmus Lema, Glen Robbins and Sören Scholvin
Additional contact information
Fabianna Bacil Lourenço Ferreira: RS: GSBE MGSoG, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance

No 2025-001, MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT)

Abstract: Green hydrogen is widely recognized as a promising solution for reconciling economic growth with environmental sustainability. It holds significant potential for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, such as steel and chemicals, and for fostering industrial development, job creation, and technological learning. However, the pathways through which emerging economies can effectively seize these opportunities remain underexplored. This paper addresses this gap by analyzing the green hydrogen strategies of Brazil, Chile, China, and South Africa. Drawing on extensive data, including stakeholder interviews, governmental documents, and academic sources, it uncovers marked contrasts in how these countries approach this window of opportunity. While Chile and South Africa prioritize green hydrogen, and Chile adopts an export-oriented agenda, Brazil and China adopt more technology-agnostic approaches that emphasize domestic markets. These variations reflect differences in natural resource endowments, energy infrastructure, and market dynamics. The analysis reveals that industrial policies across these countries focus predominantly on supply-side measures, with demand-side incentives lagging behind. Moreover, private sector responses often diverge from national strategies, illustrating the challenges of aligning policies with market realities. The findings emphasize the need for tailored, context-sensitive approaches to green hydrogen development, challenging the notion of a universal blueprint. For policymakers in the Global South, this study offers critical insights for leveraging green hydrogen for industrial transformation.

JEL-codes: E61 L52 O25 O38 O57 Q01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-01-20
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-env
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/ws/files/239855131/wp2025-001.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unm:unumer:2025001

DOI: 10.53330/LGYE5230

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ad Notten ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).