The issue of green Guarantees of Origin for hydrogen in the Netherlands has started as of October 2022. Netherlands is the first country in Europe with such a system.
The associated system was evaluated in recent months in a pilot by hydrogen exchange initiative HyXchange in cooperation with Vertogas, the certifying body for biogas, now also for green hydrogen. A total of eighteen market parties participated in this successful pilot (practical test). HyXchange aims to rapidly expand certificate and hydrogen trading, aimed to also facilitate trade between European countries and hydrogen imports from countries outside the EU.
The pilot assessed the practical functioning of the system which market parties can use to register their hydrogen for a green Guarantee of Origin. These Guarantees of Origin can also be converted into renewable fuel units (RFUs) for traffic and transport: an attractive market because of the corresponding objective. Finally, we looked at the trade in these Guarantees of Origin. A standard trading contract is also being developed for this purpose together with European energy traders. This also makes it possible to start hydrogen trading quickly, as envisaged by HyXchange. HyXchange is thus contributing to the energy transition and the growth of renewable energy as well as reducing the natural gas dependence in the Netherlands.
The certificates are Guarantees of Origin, which guarantee that the hydrogen is produced from green electricity. This will allow any consumer to verify whether the hydrogen was indeed produced in a sustainable manner. The Netherlands has passed a law on the subject as a national elaboration of a European directive.
Currently, the system is only a Dutch system and therefore only valid within the Netherlands. This makes the Netherlands the first country to implement this system. A more international system of hydrogen certificates based on European regulations, which is still under discussion, is expected later.