Novel maturity scoring for hydrogen standards and economy in G20

The absence of a universally accepted hydrogen standard and policy inconsistency hinders the development of a hydrogen economy, trade, and the achievement of net-zero targets across G20 nations. Such regulatory inconsistencies create challenges in policy alignment for investment, infrastructure compatibility, and market forecasting. This study addresses key gaps by performing a comprehensive assessment of hydrogen standards - both local and international - financial allocations, national hydrogen strategies, and future plans for fostering sustainable hydrogen economies within the G20. A maturity scoring approach, employing the Weighted Scoring Model (WSM), is utilized to rank each country from 1 (indicating lowest maturity) to 10 (indicating highest maturity) based on performance across these criteria. Results show that the United States and China, each scoring 10, are the most mature G20 nations in hydrogen economy development, while Mexico scored 1 across all criteria. While only the United States, China, and the United Kingdom have formally released hydrogen standards, countries such as Australia, France, Germany, and Italy demonstrate significant advancements. The review shows that some nations, like Japan (strategy and plan 8, investment 1), have uneven maturity across criteria, with similar patterns in Brazil, South Africa, Russia, Argentina and India. This analysis offers vital guidance for governments and policymakers to advance hydrogen economy policies aligned with global net-zero and sustainability goals. It supports Sustainable Development Goals like Affordable and Clean Energy, Climate Action, and Sustainable Cities and Communities, emphasizing the need for a unified hydrogen standard to drive progress in G20 nations.