Hydrogen in 2026: global trends shaping the energy transition

At the beginning of 2026, hydrogen trends clearly point to a significant evolution in the role of hydrogen within global energy systems. Hydrogen-related projects are increasingly entering a more realistic, concrete phase, particularly in industrial applications, energy security, and integration with existing infrastructure. After years characterised by high expectations and ambitious announcements, the global hydrogen market is gradually shifting its focus from vision to feasibility.

In many real-world applications, hydrogen is not only an energy vector but also an industrial feedstock that is already widely used today, predominantly of fossil origin. In these contexts, the transition is primarily about replacing grey hydrogen with low-carbon hydrogen solutions. This process enables the alignment of decarbonisation, competitiveness, and the resilience of industrial value chains, making hydrogen a tangible lever for industrial transformation rather than a purely future-oriented technology.

In a global context marked by increasing volatility in energy markets and growing attention to security of supply, 2026 can therefore be understood as a year of consolidation. A phase in which hydrogen begins to take on a more clearly defined role as an industrial and system-level lever, capable of contributing in a concrete way to a safer, more flexible and progressively more sustainable energy system.

In today’s energy landscape, hydrogen is increasingly recognised as a strategic enabler of complex energy systems, capable of supporting both decarbonisation objectives and energy security. Its value does not lie in replacing direct electrification or renewable energy sources, but in complementing them—creating connections between energy production, storage and use that enhance the overall stability and resilience of the system.

As an energy vector, hydrogen enables renewable electricity to be converted into a form that is easily storable and transportable, reducing dependence on fossil resources and contributing to the diversification of energy supply. This role is particularly relevant in a global context where the security of energy supply has become a strategic priority for governments and businesses alike. Hydrogen offers a way to valorise local energy resources, strengthen the autonomy of industrial systems, and improve the resilience of energy infrastructure.

Alongside this role as an energy carrier, it is essential to recognise that today the largest share of global hydrogen demand is linked to its use as an industrial feedstock. According to the International Energy Agency, global hydrogen demand has exceeded 95 million tonnes per year and remains overwhelmingly concentrated in established applications such as refining, ammonia production and basic chemicals, where hydrogen is used as a feedstock (^{Global Hydrogen Review 2025}). In this context, one of the most tangible levers of the transition lies in replacing grey hydrogen with low-carbon hydrogen, enabling the decarbonisation of existing industrial processes without disrupting their underlying production architectures.

Recent analyses of the global hydrogen market increasingly recognise hydrogen’s role as complementary to electrification: a solution that supports the hydrogen energy transition while also contributing to the development of a more robust, reliable and secure energy system in the long term.

One of the most relevant hydrogen trends in 2026 is the progressive improvement in economic competitiveness across the entire value chain. Recent analyses show that the production costs of low-carbon hydrogen are benefiting from a combination of structural factors: declining renewable energy costs, improved electrolyser efficiency, increasing plant scale, and greater standardisation of technological solutions.

According to the International Energy Agency, the cost of hydrogen produced via electrolysis powered by renewable energy has already fallen significantly in recent years across several regions, driven primarily by lower renewable electricity prices and technological progress. In favourable conditions, the Agency highlights that renewable hydrogen is beginning to approach competitiveness with conventional alternatives, particularly in large-scale industrial applications (Global Hydrogen Review 2025).

This trend is further reinforced by industrial scale-up. The report Hydrogen: 5 Things to Look For in 2026 by Wood Mackenzie underlines that 2026 marks a shift towards a phase in which cost reductions are no longer driven solely by laboratory innovation, but increasingly by industrial optimisation and rising production volumes. Greater project selectivity—focusing on initiatives with solid economic fundamentals and long-term offtake agreements—helps create a more favourable environment for hydrogen’s competitiveness.

From an industrial perspective, there is also a steady improvement in economic outlooks. The Global Hydrogen Compass 2025, published by the Hydrogen Council, shows that a growing number of companies no longer view hydrogen as an experimental solution but as a concrete option to reduce medium-term energy costs, strengthen energy security, and enhance the resilience of their operations.

Overall, these signals suggest that while the hydrogen cost gap has not disappeared, it is set to progressively narrow, making hydrogen increasingly attractive for both industrial and energy applications. Looking to the medium term, the key to strengthening hydrogen’s role in the hydrogen energy transition lies precisely in the combination of these factors: technological improvement, industrial maturity, and more favourable market conditions.

Alongside technological and economic progress, another key hydrogen trend in 2026 is the evolution of policy and regulatory frameworks, which are increasingly designed to create stable and predictable conditions for market development. At a global level, governments and institutions are strengthening hydrogen’s role within national and international energy strategies, recognising its contribution to both decarbonisation and energy security.

According to the International Energy Agency, the number of national hydrogen strategies and roadmaps has grown significantly in recent years, signalling a growing political convergence around the role of hydrogen in future energy systems. The spread of dedicated strategic frameworks has a direct impact on the market: it reduces regulatory uncertainty, supports industrial planning, and encourages long-term investment decisions.

In Europe, this approach translates into strong support for innovation and for the transition towards commercial deployment. The Programme Review Report 2025 published by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership highlights how policy focus is progressively shifting from research alone to large-scale industrial demonstration and deployment, with the aim of accelerating hydrogen’s entry into real markets. This direction strengthens the entire ecosystem, creating a bridge between technological development and industrial use.

A particularly relevant dimension is the link between hydrogen policy and the resilience of energy systems. Support measures are not aimed solely at emissions reduction, but also at the diversification of energy supply and the reduction of dependence on imported fuels. In this sense, hydrogen is increasingly viewed as a strategic resource, capable of contributing to the stability of national and regional energy systems over the long term.

Another defining feature of hydrogen trends in 2026 is the evolution of the investment and project pipeline, which is progressively shifting from a phase of rapid quantitative expansion to one of qualification and consolidation. This transition is a positive signal of market maturity: attention is increasingly focused on initiatives capable of demonstrating technical robustness, industrial integration, and economic sustainability in the medium term.

Analyses by the International Energy Agency show that the number of low-carbon hydrogen projects announced globally continues to grow, with an increasing share of initiatives advancing towards more concrete stages, such as final investment decisions. This shift indicates that hydrogen is moving beyond a purely demonstrative phase and entering a logic of industrial implementation.

According to Hydrogen: 5 Things to Look For in 2026, this year marks a key moment in which investment selectivity becomes a strengthening factor for the sector. Projects supported by clear demand signals, long-term offtake agreements, and a favourable regulatory environment show the highest likelihood of progressing, helping to build a more robust and credible market. In this context, project quality becomes a fundamental driver for attracting capital and accelerating development.

From an industrial perspective, the direction is equally clear. The Global Hydrogen Compass 2025 highlights how corporate interest is shifting towards scalable applications integrated into existing industrial processes, capable of generating measurable economic and operational benefits. This orientation supports the creation of hydrogen industrial hubs and more structured value chains, strengthening hydrogen’s contribution to energy security and industrial competitiveness.

Overall, 2026 emerges as a year in which the hydrogen market continues to evolve—albeit gradually—towards a new phase: less fragmented, more scale-oriented, and increasingly capable of transforming investments into concrete industrial value.

In 2026, hydrogen trends help define more clearly the space in which this vector can create value. Rather than representing a sudden turning point, 2026 emerges as a phase of definition and consolidation, in which hydrogen demonstrates its relevance primarily where it responds to concrete needs related to competitiveness, energy security, and the resilience of industrial systems. Demand does not evolve uniformly, but concentrates in applications where hydrogen delivers measurable benefits, such as reducing exposure to energy price volatility, diversifying supply sources, and integrating efficiently with existing energy and industrial infrastructure.

In this context, the role of hydrogen as an industrial feedstock becomes particularly significant—an area in which the market is already structured and the transition primarily concerns the replacement of fossil-based hydrogen with low-carbon solutions. Alongside these established applications, new energy uses continue to develop, following differentiated timelines and trajectories. Long-term ambitions remain an important strategic reference, but it is increasingly the realistic short- and medium-term pathways that guide industrial decisions: credible roadmaps, mature technologies, and scalable solutions.

It is this evolution—driven by selection, pragmatism and progressive implementation—that strengthens hydrogen’s role as a system-level component, rather than as an isolated solution. A role that enables hydrogen to contribute in a concrete way to a safer, more flexible and more reliable energy system, while generating real industrial opportunities in the present, as well as along the long-term pathway of the energy transition.