Hydrogen Acceptance in Transition Phase: Results from HYACINTH Project

1. Public opinion and stakeholder expectations: a quick look at some of the results of the EU project “Hydrogen acceptance in the transition phase (HYACINTH)” Prof Paul Upham, Leuphana University Lüneburg

2. Co-authors / researchers: Christian Oltra, Roser Sala,Monica Lores, Elisabeth Dütschke, Uta Schneider (& Paula Bögel and Paul Wiemann) of Leeds and Leuphana

3. PROJECT DETAILS • Project Title: “Hydrogen acceptance in the transition phase (HYACINTH)” • Call: FCH-JU-2013-1 • Period Time: September 2014 – May 2017 • Funding Agency: Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

4. HYACINTH project PUBLIC Public awareness and acceptance of FCH technologies across Europe: STAKEHOLDERS Stakeholder acceptance of FCH technologies across Europe: Survey 333 participants 5 European countries Semi-structured interviews 145 participants 5 European countries Survey 1000 participants 7 European countries Social Acceptance Management Toolbox (SAMT): To help promoters and decision makers integrate issues related to social acceptance into their developments

5. PUBLIC SURVEY countries PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE STUDY Belgium France Germany Norway Slovenia Spain United Kingdom _____________ 7.148participants (> 1.000 per country)

6. PUBLIC SURVEY - designof thequestionnaire 500 respondents 500 respondents Introduction to thestudy Figure 1. Summary of the design of the questionnaire Evaluation of problems Awareness and uninformedevaluation of HFC technologies Backgroundinformationon HFC technologies BackgroundinformationonresidentialHFCs Backgroundinformationon HFC vehicles Awareness, emotions, perceivedcosts and benefits Awareness, emotions, perceivedcosts and benefits Evaluation of consequences Evaluation of consequences Preference, acceptance and support Preference, acceptance and support Otherquestions: trust, pro-environmentalself-identity, engagementwithtechnologicalissues and life-styles

7. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW countries STAKEHOLDER ACCEPTANCE STUDY - Qualitative France Germany Slovenia Spain United Kingdom _____________ 145 interviews

8. Acceptance of home HFCs PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS Total sample: “All else equal (price, comfort, maintenance cost, etc.), I would be happy to have an hydrogen fuel cell unit in my home in future”.

9. Acceptance of HFCEVs PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS • Total sample: “All else equal (cost, range, etc.), I would like to purchase an hydrogen fuel cell car in the future “

10. Respondents’ reasonsfornotbeingwillingto buy a home HFC (multi-response question) PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS Safety concerns Sub-sample: as % of those respondents who consider themselves very unlikely to purchase

11. Respondents’ reasonsfornotbeingwillingto buyanHFCEV (multi-response qu) PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS Sub-sample: % of those respondents who consider themselves very unlikely to purchase an HFCEV

12. Limited socio-demographicdifferencesbetweensupporters and opponents PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS *the difference is significant (p value <0.05)

13. PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS Differencesbetweensupporters and opponentsare primarily in terms of prior attitudes and habits *the difference is significant (p value <0.05)

14. Change from uninformed evaluation to informed evaluation for supporters, neutrals and opponents (mean, seven countries) PUBLIC SURVEY- RESULTS *the difference is significant (p value <0.05)

15. publicopinion of hFcevs: Summarypathanalysis Perceived safety is one factor in here

16. sociology of Expectations • When technologies or scientific capabilities do not yet exist, or are primarily at a demonstration stage, advocates generally solicit support on grounds that lie beyond evidence of technical progress. • In the STS / innovation literature, such grounds are theorised as technological expectations, i.e. ‘real-time representations of future technological situations and capabilities’ (Borup et al. 2006).   • Expectations are viewed as playing a performative role: widely shared expectations attract investment, strengthen functional networks and are thus more likely to become a reality

17. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS - RESULTS Hydrogen supply and use: expectations (count)

18. STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS - RESULTS Stationary applications: expectations (within-country %)

19. summary • The Hyacinth project has undertaken: nationally representative questionnaire surveys of the public in 7 EU countries; H2 stakeholder surveys and 145 stakeholder interviews in 5 EU countries • Analytic objects: H2 itself; HFCs for heat & power; HFCEVs • The public surveys used a combination of informed choice questionnaire and tested variables previously known as likely to help build a predictive model of acceptance • The stakeholder research focused on perceived strengths, weaknesses & expectations • This presentation gives only a brief insight into some of the results • Safety concerns are held by the publics but they are not important for those least favourably disposed • There is substantial variation in stakeholder perceptions and optimism across countries, associated with differing levels of government investment in R&D programmes • Germany and Spain are at opposite polesin this regard • If the policy conditions were to become more supportive, stakeholders expect that the public support would be there • Currently the Hyacinth public survey evidence supports this view

20. HYACINTH Hydrogen Acceptance in the Transition Phase Support & Coordinated Action paul.upham@leuphana.de Thisproject has receivedfundingfromthe Fuel Cells and HydrogenJointUndertaking(FCH-JU) undergrantagreement Nº 621228