An (in-)just transition? Sociotechnical imaginaries of the "green" hydrogen and steel transition in Bremen, Germany

Abstract

Hydrogen is considered one of the most important energy sources of the future, especially for the decarbonization of industry and the zero-carbon target in 2050. Despite high expectations, the transition to clean or green hydrogen is still in its infancy, although strategies and measures are being developed under considerable time pressure. In Germany, hydrogen strategies have been published at both national and state level, and significant funding programs have been initiated to support a fast ramp-up. This paper presents the results of a qualitative interview study with Bremen stakeholders on the sociotechnical imaginaries around the state's hydrogen transition, which is strongly focused on the decarbonization of the local steelworks. Conceptually, this study combines two strands: sociotechnical imaginaries and multiple energy justices. The results show that ideas about the future hydrogen transition are largely embedded in ecological modernization thinking, although they are still very vague and sometimes controversial. So far, justice aspects have been addressed almost exclusively in the narrow context of local job preservation, and not or hardly at all in the context of global hydrogen strategies. This carries the risk of designing a transition that further exacerbates the inequalities and injustices of existing energy systems. • Hydrogen transition is central to decarbonization in the EU and Germany. • Despite considerable momentum, it is taking place with great uncertainty. • Dominant sociotechnical imaginaries embed hydrogen transitions in ecological modernization. • Justice aspects are mainly thought of locally as securing jobs, hardly in the context of global interdependencies. • A combined use of sociotechnical imaginaries and multiple energy justices offers the added value of an extended as well as in-depth analysis of hydrogen transitions.

Topics & Concepts