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The goal of the European energy policy is to achieve climate neutrality. The long-term energy strategies of various European countries include additional targets such as the diversification of energy sources, maintenance of security of supply, and reduction of import dependency. When optimizing energy systems, these strategic policy targets are often only considered in a rudimentary manner and thus, the understanding of the corresponding interdependencies is lacking. Moreover, hydrogen is considered as a key component of a fully decarbonized energy system, but its role in the power sector remains unclear due to the low round-trip efficiencies.This study reveals how fully decarbonized European power systems can benefit from hydrogen in terms of overall system costs and the achievement of strategic policy targets. We analyzed a broad spectrum of scenarios using an energy system optimization model and varied model constraints that reflect strategic policy targets. Our results are threefold. First, compared to power systems without hydrogen, systems using hydrogen realize savings of 14–16% in terms of the total system costs. Second, the implementation of a hydrogen infrastructure reduces the number of infeasible scenarios when structural policy targets are considered within the power system. Third, the role of hydrogen is highly diverse at a national level. Particularly, in countries with low renewable energy potential, hydrogen plays a crucial role. Here, high levels of self-sufficiency and security of supply are achieved by deploying hydrogen-based power generation of up to 46% of their annual electricity demand, realized via imports of green hydrogen.

In which way, and in which sectors, will renewable energy be integrated in the German Energy System by 2030, 2040, and 2050? How can the resulting energy system be characterised following a −95% greenhouse gas emission reduction scenario? Which role will hydrogen play? To address these research questions, techno-economic energy system modelling was performed. Evaluation of the resulting operation of energy technologies was carried out from a system and a business point of view. Special consideration of gas technologies, such as hydrogen production, transport, and storage, was taken as a large-scale and long-term energy storage option and key enabler for the decarbonisation of the non-electric sectors. The broad set of results gives insight into the entangled interactions of the future energy technology portfolio and its operation within a coupled energy system. Amongst other energy demands, CO2 emissions, hydrogen production, and future power plant capacities are presented. One main conclusion is that integrating the first elements of a large-scale hydrogen infrastructure into the German energy system, already, by 2030 is necessary for ensuring the supply of upscaling demands across all sectors. Within the regulatory regime of 2020, it seems that this decision may come too late, which jeopardises the achievement of transition targets within the horizon 2050.