Navigating the unknown – the only certainty is that there will be uncertainties A single case study of a green hydrogen project in Sweden

Abstract

Green hydrogen technology can decarbonise energy-intensive industries and contribute to sustainable development globally. The technology itself is so novel that there are currently no large-scale production facilities. The objective of this thesis is therefore to investigate a practical case of a green hydrogen facility project in Alby, Sweden. A green hydrogen project does not come without difficulties and this thesis aims at creating an understanding of uncertainties in the project and how these are navigated by the two key stakeholders, RES and Ånge municipality. Further, this thesis intends to create an understanding of the diffusion of renewable energy technologies and in particular green hydrogen technology. The research areas are met through a qualitative case study based on nine interviews with actors involved in the green hydrogen project; RES and Ånge municipality as key stakeholders and technical experts involved in the project for additional understanding. The empirical findings are structured around each interviewed group to cover the following areas; project management and technology diffusion. The research conducted for the green hydrogen facility in Alby confirms previous literature which shows that uncertainty in projects stems from common sources and that different uncertainty types call for different actions. When uncertainty is small and predictable, stakeholders can resort to planning. Once it is greater, flexibility is needed and close collaboration between stakeholders is important. Further, the thesis suggests that stakeholders and the roles they take impact uncertainty management; supporting stakeholders will reduce uncertainty and hindering stakeholders will bring more uncertainty. Managing uncertainties is a prerequisite for project completion, and successful project management helps pave the way for future green hydrogen projects. This leads to the second research area of this thesis, where the diffusion of renewable energy technologies is examined. The thesis shows that literature on renewable energy technology diffusion is relevant to explaining the challenges of green hydrogen technology. Local opposition to renewable energy is mentioned extensively in literature and opposition challenges exist also in the Alby project. A non-existent green hydrogen market is considered to have implementations for the project itself and the diffusion of green hydrogen technology. Due to the novelty of green hydrogen, this thesis contributes with theoretical and practical knowledge in a primarily unresearched area.