Regimes of technological trajectories in hydrogen: implications for the strategic positioning of leading economies

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a notable increase in knowledge generation related to hydrogen as a fuel, particularly in the areas of grey hydrogen and renewable hydrogen. However, the extent to which the knowledge generation regime influences the technological positioning of leading countries in this field remains unclear. This study draws on patent application family data from the European Patent Office and applies specific methodologies to determine the knowledge generation regimes associated with these types of hydrogen, alongside the technological positioning of leading countries in terms of specialisation, dynamism, and presence. A segmentation analysis is then conducted to assess the influence of the regime on national positioning in the generation of hydrogen-related knowledge. The findings indicate that leading countries with technology-based regimes, such as China and Russia, tend to be highly technologically positioned. However, this relationship is less consistent among leading countries with science-based regimes, which are more prevalent in both grey and renewable types of hydrogen.