The role of hydrogen storage and pipelines in highly sector coupled European energy systems

The transition towards net-zero energy systems requires large-scale integration of wind and solar generation. Energy storage, transmission and sector coupling are important flexibility solutions to manage the inherent variability in weather dependent generation. Due to the uncertainty in projecting the role of hydrogen in the energy systems towards 2050, there is uncertainty in the role of hydrogen assets in providing the flexibility. The literature does not fully agree on how competitive the solutions are expected to be compared to flexibility from the power system side and other sectors. There is also uncertainty in whether placing hydrogen infrastructure onshore or offshore makes the most sense, which is a topical question as interest in offshore energy hubs grows. This paper studies pathways towards 2050 to understand the role of hydrogen storage and pipelines in different scenarios, focusing on the Central and Northern Europe. The results indicate that while hydrogen pipelines have a role in highly sector coupled scenarios, electric transmission lines are seen important in all scenarios. The optimality of onshore vs. offshore placement of hydrogen infrastructure varies between different studies.