Social acceptance of green hydrogen in Germany: building trust through responsible innovation

Energy, Sustainability and Society

Research

Thea C. Kirsch¹  Simone Kaiser²  Moritz J. Maier²  Johann Jakob Häußermann³  Martina Schraudner⁴ 

[1] Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany;Center For Responsible Research and Innovation, Fraunhofer-Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), Stuttgart, Germany;TUM School of Governance, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany;Center For Responsible Research and Innovation, Fraunhofer-Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), Stuttgart, Germany;acatech-The National Academy of Science and Engineering, Munich, Germany;Department of Gender and Diversity in Technology and Product Development, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany;Center For Responsible Research and Innovation, Fraunhofer-Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), Stuttgart, Germany;

关键词: Green hydrogen;    Social acceptance;    Responsible innovation;    Participation;    Trust;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13705-023-00394-4

 received in 2022-01-07, accepted in 2023-05-08,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSocial acceptance presents a major challenge for Germany’s transition to green energy. As a power-to-x technology, green hydrogen is set to become a key component of a future sustainable energy system. With a view to averting conflicts like those surrounding wind energy, we have investigated social acceptance of green hydrogen at an early stage in its implementation, before wider rollout. Our study uses a mixed-method approach, wherein semi-structured interviews (n = 24) and two participatory workshops (n = 51) in a selected region in central Germany serve alongside a representative survey (n = 2054) as the basis for both understanding social attitudes and reaching generalisable conclusions.ResultsOverall, it is possible to observe both a marked lack of knowledge and a large degree of openness towards green hydrogen and its local use, along with high expectations regarding environmental and climate protection. We reach three key conclusions. First, acceptance of green hydrogen relies on trust in science, government, the media, and institutions that uphold distributive justice, with consideration for regional values playing a vital role in establishing said trust. Second, methodologically sound participatory processes can promote acceptance, and active support in particular. Third, recurrent positive participatory experiences can effectively foster trust.ConclusionsAccordingly, we argue that trust should be strengthened on a structural level, and that green hydrogen acceptance should be understood as a matter of responsible innovation. As the first empirical investigation into social acceptance of green hydrogen, and by conceptually interlinking acceptance research and responsible innovation, this study constitutes an important contribution to existing research.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 1

Fig. 6

Fig. 5

Scheme 1

Fig. 1

Fig. 5