Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from renewable sources like wind or solar. The process is called electrolysis, and because the electricity powering it is clean, the hydrogen produced has zero carbon emissions. It is called “green” to distinguish it from “grey” hydrogen (made from natural gas, which releases CO2) and “blue” hydrogen (made from natural gas with carbon capture).
Think of green hydrogen as a way to bottle renewable electricity in chemical form. Wind turbines generate power, but the wind does not always blow when you need it. Green hydrogen lets you store that energy and use it later – in a factory, a truck, a power station, or even exported through a pipeline to another country.
🌿 Why Green Hydrogen Matters for Ireland
Ireland imports roughly 77% of its energy in the form of fossil fuels, spending approximately €1 million per hour on those imports. At the same time, Ireland has some of the best offshore wind resources in Europe – enough to generate far more renewable electricity than the country could ever use domestically. The National Hydrogen Strategy, published in July 2023, positions green hydrogen as the bridge between these two facts.
The strategy identifies three reasons Ireland needs green hydrogen. First, decarbonising sectors where simply switching to electric is not practical or affordable – heavy industry, cement production, long-haul freight, aviation, and maritime transport. Second, strengthening energy security by replacing imported fossil fuels with an indigenous zero-carbon fuel. Third, creating new industrial and export opportunities by selling surplus green hydrogen to European countries that need it but cannot produce enough themselves.
Ireland’s renewable electricity share reached 40.2% in 2024, with wind providing the majority. But as more wind and solar capacity is added, a growing percentage of that clean energy gets wasted. In 2023, around 10.7% of available wind energy on the island was dispatched down (curtailed) because the grid could not absorb it all. Projections suggest this could rise to 11-29% in the coming years. Green hydrogen offers a productive use for that surplus power instead of simply switching off turbines.
🌿 How Green Hydrogen Is Produced
The core technology is an electrolyser – a device that uses electricity to split water (Hâ‚‚O) into hydrogen (Hâ‚‚) and oxygen (Oâ‚‚). When the electricity comes from renewable sources, the resulting hydrogen is classified as green.
Ireland’s strategy focuses initially on using surplus renewable electricity that would otherwise be curtailed. Rather than paying wind farms to shut down during periods of oversupply, that power can be routed to electrolysers to produce hydrogen. Over time, the plan envisions dedicated offshore wind capacity – up to 2 GW by the mid-2030s – connected directly to hydrogen production facilities.
Research from Dublin City University found that large-scale green hydrogen production in Ireland could achieve a cost of €1.20 to €2.44 per kilogram, depending on the trajectory of renewable energy installations and grid improvements. Selling surplus electricity back to the grid during production could reduce costs by a further 13.5%. As electrolyser technology matures and investment costs decline, a further 20% reduction is expected between 2030 and 2040.
🌿 What Will Green Hydrogen Be Used For?
The National Hydrogen Strategy lists 11 priority end-uses, roughly in order of when they are expected to come online:
- 🌿 Replacing existing grey hydrogen (2025-2030) – niche industrial uses that already consume hydrogen, switching to a renewable source.
- 🌿 Flexible power generation and long-duration energy storage (2030-2035) – providing backup electricity when the wind is not blowing, storing energy across seasons rather than hours.
- 🌿 Industrial heat and processing (2030-2035) – powering high-temperature processes in sectors like cement and chemicals where direct electrification is not feasible.
- 🌿 Heavy transport, aviation, and maritime (2025-2040) – fuelling long-range trucks, producing synthetic aviation fuel, and powering ships with hydrogen-derived ammonia.
- 🌿 Export (2035-2040) – Ireland’s hydrogen production potential exceeds expected domestic demand. The EU aims to import 10 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030, and Ireland is well placed to supply part of that.
Residential heating through hydrogen is listed as the lowest priority (2035-2040), limited to niche areas where heat pumps and electrification are genuinely not feasible. Ireland’s strategy does not see hydrogen as a mass replacement for gas boilers in homes.
🌿 Ireland’s Hydrogen Infrastructure Plans
The Hydrogen Taskforce, launched in July 2025, oversees implementation of the National Hydrogen Strategy’s 21 actions. Key infrastructure milestones include:
- 🌿 A gas blending roadmap by 2026, with a path toward 100% hydrogen compatibility in parts of the network after that.
- 🌿 Cluster-based hydrogen infrastructure emerging before 2030 – regional hubs where production, large industrial consumers, and storage are co-located.
- 🌿 Potential repurposing of Gas Networks Ireland’s existing 14,758 km pipeline network to carry hydrogen alongside or instead of natural gas.
- 🌿 An export feasibility study (completed early 2026) assessing pipeline routes and non-pipeline transport options to connect Irish hydrogen to continental Europe.
Gas Networks Ireland has partnered with National Gas in the UK to explore a future hydrogen interconnector between the two countries. The long-term vision sees the gas network divided into a national hydrogen network (carrying roughly 70% of gas volumes) and a regional biomethane network (30%).
Notably, Ireland’s strategy explicitly does not see a significant role for blue hydrogen, citing the country’s lack of fossil gas reserves and carbon storage facilities.
🌿 How Green Hydrogen Connects to Ireland’s Climate Targets
Ireland must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. The electricity sector has the steepest reduction target at 75%, requiring 80% of power from renewables by 2030. Green hydrogen supports this by absorbing surplus renewable generation that would otherwise be wasted, improving the economics of wind and solar projects.
For harder-to-decarbonise sectors like industry (35% reduction target) and transport (50% target), hydrogen provides a zero-carbon fuel where batteries and direct electrification fall short. The EU Emissions Trading System is also expanding to cover buildings and road transport from 2027, which will further incentivise the switch to clean fuels including hydrogen.
Green hydrogen is not a short-term fix for Ireland’s 2030 targets – the strategy is honest about that. But it is a critical part of the path to 2050, and the groundwork being laid now will determine whether Ireland captures or misses the economic opportunity that comes with it.
🌿 Frequently Asked Questions
🌿 What is the difference between green, grey, and blue hydrogen?
Green hydrogen is made by splitting water using renewable electricity – it produces zero emissions. Grey hydrogen is made from natural gas through steam methane reforming, which releases significant CO2. Blue hydrogen uses the same process as grey but captures and stores the CO2. Ireland’s National Hydrogen Strategy focuses exclusively on green hydrogen and does not see blue hydrogen playing a significant role.
🌿 When will green hydrogen be available in Ireland?
Small-scale pilot projects and replacements of existing grey hydrogen uses are expected between 2025 and 2030. Larger-scale deployment for power generation, industry, and transport is anticipated from the early 2030s. Dedicated offshore wind farms producing hydrogen at scale are targeted for the mid-2030s, with export capacity following shortly after.
🌿 Will hydrogen replace my gas boiler?
Almost certainly not. Ireland’s strategy lists residential heating as the lowest-priority hydrogen use case, relevant only in niche situations where heat pumps are not viable. For most Irish homes, retrofitting with insulation and installing a heat pump remains the most effective and cost-efficient path to decarbonising home heating.
🌿 Can Ireland export green hydrogen?
Yes, and this is a major part of the strategy. Ireland’s offshore wind potential far exceeds domestic energy needs. An ARUP study commissioned in 2025 assessed pipeline and shipping routes to continental Europe. The EU has ambitious hydrogen import targets, and Ireland is well positioned geographically and in terms of wind resources to become a significant supplier. The Hydrogen Taskforce is advancing this work.