Hydrogen produced from electricity will be the dominant form of production by mid-century, according to a forecast released this week by Oslo-based consulting group DNV.

As noted in our main article, this refers to using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis.

DNV forecasts that grid-connected electrolysis (which takes electricity directly from the grid) and dedicated renewable electrolysis (which means connecting the electrolyser to the renewables plant directly) will represent 72% of total hydrogen output by 2050.

The rest will come from fossil-fuel-based production that captures and stores CO2.

DNV categorizes grid-connected electricity as any electricity from the grid, regardless of what type of energy it comes from. Over time, the amount of electricity on the grid will be greener as more renewables come online, but the share differs widely across countries.

The category dedicated to renewable electrolysis includes any direct connection to a renewables plant, not necessarily a new one.

Ensuring renewable energy hydrogen will be produced from new installations and not divert existing clean power from other decarbonization efforts has led to intense lobbying in the European Union, as we recently reported.

Public consultations on how to set up those rules, including the life cycle emissions of renewable hydrogen, end Friday.