What is Public Perception of Hydrogen

Public understanding of hydrogen will have a tremendous impact on current as well as future policy initiatives for vehicle as well as portable and stationary applications. Numerous studies have been performed to analyze the public’s current perception and understanding of hydrogen. Most energy producing technologies have an attached combination of positive and negative stigmas and means of understanding by the general public. For example, individuals who are aware of the environmental effects of a possible nuclear meltdown may deem nuclear power as a negative entity. On the contrary, individuals who are aware of the quantities of carbon emissions being reduced by using one less fossil fuel driven power plant may find nuclear power as a positive entity. A combination of scientific understanding with common associated social themes anchored by pre-existing knowledge will have a significant impact on the future hydrogen policy. Many studies have been carried out on the topic of Hydrogen Public Perception and degree of acceptance. The Institute for Social, Cultural and Public Policy Research at the University of Salford, evaluated a variety of survey based studies and performed a critical analysis of these selected findings. The article emphasizes that public perception is largely formed on an overall uneducated or misinformed hydrogen knowledge base. Dr. Miriam Ricci states within the article that “Providing factual information on the whole hydrogen chain, not just applications, and the implications it might have on the lives of citizens it may have is a necessary first step.” This conclusion reached by many other scholars has been implemented in current US Hydrogen Policy through the appropriations of hydrogen demonstration and public outreach funding described in section 808 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Another concern presented by the Institute for Social, Cultural and Public Policy Research at the University of Salford is that of public distrust of government regulatory committees. In a free-association based survey carried out by Fionnguala Sherry-Brennan of the Manchester Architecture Research Centre (MARC) at the University of Manchester, residents from Unst, Shetland, home of a wind-hydrogen electricity system, were asked to describe words that came to mind when thinking about hydrogen. The survey concluded that details regarding the properties of hydrogen were largely unknown with 9.1 percent of the study population associating the word “hydrogen” with “bomb” and 0.6 percent of the study population associating it with the word “safe.” However, there were few safety concerns regarding the use of hydrogen on the island. Concerning a possible hydrogen economy there are safety concerns that need to be addressed, some of which have informed current policy and regulations regarding refueling stations and hydrogen production stations as mentioned earlier in this article.

HyLaw or Hydrogen Law: A Regulation for Removal of Legal Barriers to the Deployment of Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Applications

Nima Norouzi (Bournemouth University, UK)