OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIALS FOR THE APPLICATION OF HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY AND INVESTMENT IN THE CROATIA.

A drastic climate change we are witnessing today is the result of burning fossil fuels in the last two hundred years primarily to meet our energy needs. Therefore, considerable effort is being put into the global energy transition, which will, through decarbonisation achieve long-term sustainable development of mankind. Apart from renewable energy sources, an important role in this energy transition will be that of alternative clean fuels. Aim of the paper is to investigate the advantages of joining the EU hydrogen-based economy initiative at this exact moment, from the perspective of a company based in the Republic of Croatia, as one of the EU member states, and examine potentials for business cases. The methodological framework employed in this paper was a qualitative analysis through structured interviews with experts from various fields, which included representatives of the academic community and those engaged in a range of industries with potential in the hydrogen economy in the Republic of Croatia. The responses collected during interviews are then processed and presented according to areas and topics so as the highlight the key findings and recommendations. Although the potentials for hydrogen application are numerous, this thesis shows the complexity and challenges of the energy transition. According to the results of the research, until 2050, hydrogen will represent only a small segment of the future energy mix. What is more, the production of hydrogen solely from renewable energy sources is not sufficient to trigger the hydrogen economy, though in the long run, it is the most preferred solution in reaching the set targets for decarbonisation. Though developing a hydrogen economy depends on specific features and potentials of each member state, as for the Republic of Croatia, the results of the research show a number of business opportunities in this field. Additionally, the paper recognizes that even today segment of waste management and waste management technology could provide an economically viable and flexible way of using hydrogen technologies that can contribute to decarbonisation and development of the hydrogen economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]