Standardization as a Key to the Hydrogen Economy of the Future

Hydrogen is considered a central building block of the energy transition. It can enable the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries, the storage of renewable energies, and cross-sectoral energy use—from mobility to heating and industrial applications. To unlock these potentials safely, efficiently, and economically, unified technical rules and standards are essential. They create trust, compatibility, and market access—both nationally and internationally.

This is precisely where the Standardization Roadmap Hydrogen Technologies comes in. It was developed by the German standardization organizations (including DIN, DKE, and DVGW) together with more than 700 experts. As part of the roadmap, the current state of standardization was analyzed and a strategic plan was created to address the needs of technical rule-setting along the entire hydrogen value chain—from production to transport and storage through to applications.

A central finding of the roadmap: without standardized procedures and harmonized regulatory frameworks, a safe and economically viable ramp-up of hydrogen technologies is hardly possible. Standards ensure safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness; they enable scaling and international tradability.

At the same time, standardization is increasingly becoming a geopolitical competitive factor - lobal players such as China and the USA strategically use standards to strengthen their market positions. Germany and Europe must keep pace strategically.

Over the past three years, a comprehensive picture of the current standardization landscape for hydrogen technologies has emerged. The results show that Germany is already well positioned in many areas, while targeted action is still required in others.

1. Production

For electrolysis - the heart of hydrogen production - a mature regulatory framework exists. It must be expanded, especially with standards for long-term testing and efficiency assessment. For new production methods such as thermochemical or biogenic processes, further development is needed.

System integration into existing energy infrastructures is already well regulated; sustainability and quality standards are currently being harmonized to ensure international tradability.

2. Infrastructure

The pipeline-based infrastructure - pipelines, compressors, storage facilities - has an almost complete technical rulebook. Significant gaps remain in underground hydrogen storage and in transport forms via derivatives (e.g., ammonia or LOHC). Work on new standards in these areas is already underway. Successful national projects, such as the hydrogen core network, demonstrate how standardization creates investment security and facilitates planning.

3. Application

Across industry, mobility, and heating, the roadmap presents a heterogeneous picture:

• In industry and stationary fuel cells, the regulatory framework is largely complete.
• The Power-to-X sector is well covered but continues to be expanded.
• In the mobility sector, refuelling with gaseous hydrogen is well standardized; however, major gaps remain for cryogenic and liquid hydrogen as well as in aviation.

4. Cross-cutting topics

A functioning quality infrastructure - metrology, materials, components - is crucial. The PTB and numerous partners have established essential foundations to ensure measurement accuracy and international comparability.

In safety, a mature technical rule framework exists. It is continuously expanded and harmonized according to identified needs. In the field of vocational training, extensive guidelines exist, but they are often non-transparent, especially for new stakeholders. Therefore, the need for a guideline to provide transparent access to qualification requirements has been identified. Another key result is the directory of standards and technical rules for hydrogen technologies. This freely accessible database supports all actors along the hydrogen value chain and allows analysis of existing regulatory frameworks via search functions.

The results of the Standardization Roadmap show that Germany has a solid regulatory foundation to build a safe and competitive hydrogen economy. The next steps involve closing remaining gaps and advancing European harmonization.

With the roadmap, Germany has created a strategic instrument that not only supports technological development but also provides economic and regulatory guidance—thus making a significant contribution to the success of the energy transition.