On 15 April 2026, MOST-H2 took part in a Joint Webinar on the Social Acceptance of Hydrogen Technologies, organised together with the EU-funded projects H2GLASS and HYGHER, and supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
The webinar addressed a cross-cutting challenge for Europe’s energy transition: while hydrogen technologies continue to advance technically, their long-term success depends heavily on public trust, acceptance and early stakeholder engagement. Bringing together perspectives from different stages of the hydrogen value chain, the webinar explored how social acceptance can be assessed, strengthened and embedded into technology development from an early stage.
Key messages from the joint discussion
Across all contributions, a shared set of insights emerged. Participants highlighted that social acceptance:
- needs to be addressed proactively and early, rather than as a downstream communication task,
- is shaped by transparency, perceived safety, and clear evidence, and
- varies across societal levels, from the general public to workers, organisations and decision-makers.
The discussion underlined that integrating social, organisational and sustainability dimensions alongside technical development is essential to enable hydrogen technologies to move successfully from demonstration to wider deployment.
MOST-H2: Public perception of hydrogen in transport
Representing MOST-H2, Loay Radwan (GreenDelta GmbH) presented the project’s work on public perceptions of hydrogen technologies, with a particular focus on implications for MOF-based hydrogen storage solutions in transport applications, especially rail.
Drawing on results from MOST-H2’s ongoing EU-wide social acceptance survey , the presentation provided an evidence-based snapshot of how hydrogen is currently perceived by the general public. The findings indicate high overall awareness of hydrogen, strong support for hydrogen-powered trains and buses, and only limited differences between general and local acceptance. At the same time, respondents identified infrastructure availability, safety and transparency as key factors influencing trust.
The presentation also highlighted the importance of clear, science-based communication, particularly when introducing novel storage technologies such as Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which many respondents were not familiar with prior to the survey but viewed positively once their role and benefits were explained.
Complementary perspectives from H2GLASS and HYGHER
The joint nature of the webinar allowed for a broader view on social acceptance across the hydrogen ecosystem. While MOST-H2 focused on public opinion and societal acceptance, H2GLASS adressed organisational readiness and acceptance within energy-intensive industries, and HYGHER explored how sustainability data, life-cycle assessments and transparency along the hydrogen value chain can support trust and informed decision-making.
A moderated discussion and engaging Q&A session reinforced a common conclusion: social acceptance is not a single issue, but a multi-level challenge that must be integrated into hydrogen innovation from the outset.
The organisers would like to thank all speakers and contributors:
- Loay Radwan, GreenDelta (MOST-H2)
- Kristine Bly, SINTEF (H2GLASS)
- Dominik Gregorčič, University of Ljubljana (HYGHER)
Special thanks also go to Mirela Atanasiu (Clean Hydrogen Partnership) for the opening keynote, and Kira Jung (NOW GmbH, Women in Green Hydrogen) for the engaging moderation.
The presentation slides are available below. The webinar recording will follow soon.