Within the needed global energy transition, hydrogen presents a potential avenue for achieving deep decarbonization. To assess the decarbonization potential of a hydrogen economy, one may use an integrated assessment approach, a comprehensive framework that incorporates insights across diverse sectors like energy, land use, and the broader economy, along with their associated greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the global climate. Integrated assessment models (IAM) are mathematical tools to conduct an integrated assessment. This presentation proposes a survey of 12 distinct family of IAM from 50 different studies, to assess the potential of a hydrogen economy for different scenarios developed within the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report WGIII. This presentation also reports on our ongoing efforts at GERAD to model hydrogen production pathways in our own integrated assessment model, called AD-MERGE.

To meet global climate objectives, it is essential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Hydrogen (H2) has emerged as a crucial component in this shift, supported by the federal and Québec governments’ ambitious goals for emissions reduction and carbon neutrality. This study investigates the integration of H2 technologies within the Greater Montréal (GM) region, aiming to achieve significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and aid the transition to carbon neutrality by 2050. Focusing on hard-to-abate sectors, the research enhances the Energy–Technology–Environment Model (ETEM) for the GM region (ETEM-MTL) to assess hydrogen contribution to decarbonization efforts, particularly in mobility and industry. The work develops optimized H2 pathways to examine sector synergies and evaluate GHG emissions across hydrogen supply chain.