Hydrogen and the carbon trap: Hydrogen coalitions and the feedback effects of the BC Hydrogen Strategy

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Date

2024-08

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University of New Brunswick

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Hydrogen has become increasingly regarded as a clean alternative for harder-to-abate sectors in Canada. British Columbia was the first province in Canada to release a hydrogen strategy, which discusses ambitions to support low-carbon hydrogen development derived from renewables and fossil fuels. Political science literature has examined the relationship between renewable and fossil dependent interest groups, often stating that there is increasing amounts of resistance against renewable technologies as they develop. Hydrogen presents an opportunity to expand upon this literature, as it can favour the political interest of either renewable or fossil fuel coalitions. Examining the feedback effects of the BC Hydrogen Strategy, this thesis examines policy developments in three cases: hydrogen production, hydrogen in long-haul road transportation, and hydrogen in heavy-industrial applications. Results find that the presence of incumbent interests is not hindering renewable hydrogen developments in BC. Rather, renewable hydrogen may be supporting the political position of incumbents.

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