CERTIFICATION SCHEMES
DEFINITION
CertifHy has created the Non-Government Certificate (NGC) Scheme, an electronic certificate system that enables the use of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen throughout the EU, regardless of location. The consumed hydrogen takes on the characteristics specified in the certificate when a CertifHy NGC is used.
CertifHy’s NGCs are electronic documents that verify the production of a specific quantity of hydrogen by a registered Production Device using a defined quality and production method. These certificates are securely stored in the CertifHy Registry, a central database that expertly manages the lifecycle of CertifHy NGCs for every account holder.
The CertifHy NGC Scheme is firmly established and readily available throughout Europe.
The CertifHy™ Registry generates unique CertifHy™certificate for each registered production device and tracks them during their life cycle, so that double use within the registry is excluded. The CertifHy™ Registry is fraud-resistant and can provide reports for different kind of purposes (for the account holder itself, for competent bodies, for European and national statistics, for the registry administrator, etc.).
CertifHy™certificate schemes are typically in Europe, however CertifHy’s™ objective is to go beyond Europe’s borders in the future.
Benefits
CertifHy™ GOs provide information about
Motivated by its energy policy goals, the EU is exploring cost-effective strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from 1990 levels by 2030.
Hydrogen holds significant potential for contributing to decarbonisation objectives. To meet the demand for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen across various sectors – including transport, refining, steel, chemicals, and other industries – a dependable system for tracking and tracing the production and consumption of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen is essential.
While the implementation of Hydrogen Guarantees of Origin (H2 GOs) by EU Member States is ongoning, CertifHy NGCs provide an immediate solution for promoting the production and utilization of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen throughout Europe.
Below, you’ll find a detailed explanation of the benefits offered by CertifHy NGC certificates for low-carbon and renewable hydrogen.
- CertifHy NGC certificates create new business opportunities for producers and users looking to advance the production and use of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen beyond the existing mandatory targets for the transport and industrial sectors. Our NGC Scheme creates extra value when it is not possible to produce or use 100% RFNBO-compliant hydrogen.
- CertifHy NGC certificates function as reliable, transparent instruments that ensure consumer confidence about the quality and origin of a product. They further empower consumers by allowing them to transfer value toward production methods they wish to support, which in turn enables them to set specific criteria for the hydrogen they want to purchase, including localization, energy source, production pathway, CO2 footprint, and more.
- Because they rely on state-of-the art standards, regulations, and technologies and strong third-party auditing activities, CertifHy NGC certificates offer a high level of traceability and transparency.
- CertifHy NGC certificates are fit-for-purpose owing to their criteria for low-carbon and renewable hydrogen, which have been established in close collaboration with the CertifHy Stakeholder Platform.
- By using methodologies developed in cooperation with the CertifHy Stakeholder Platform, CertifHy NGC certificates allow producers and users of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen to measure impact in terms of CO2 emissions.
- Thanks to our book-and-claim system, CertifHy NGC certificates are easy to trade and use, irrespective of their location in Europe. This enhances the accessibility of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen.
NGC Scheme Documents
Here you will find the CertifHy NGC Scheme documents, which outline the scope and requirements of certification, define the roles and responsibilities of the various actors involved, and introduce the content of a certificate.
DEFINITION AND BENEFITS
CertifHy™ has established a system of electronic certificates, called Guarantee of Origin (CertifHy™ GO) certificates.
CertifHy™ GOs enable EU-wide consumption of non-renewable and renewable hydrogen regardless of the location; by using a CertifHy™ GO, the corresponding quantity of hydrogen consumed acquires the properties of the hydrogen covered by the CertifHy™ GO.
A CertifHy™ GO is an electronic document providing proof that a given quantity of hydrogen is produced by a registered production device with a specific quality and method of production. The CertifHy™ GO certificates are maintained in a CertifHy™ Registry, a central database that will manage the CertifHy™ GOs’ life cycle for every account holder.
The CertifHy™ Registry generates unique CertifHy™ GOs for each registered production device and tracks them during their life cycle, so that double use within the registry is excluded. The CertifHy™ Registry is fraud-resistant and can provide reports for different kind of purposes (for the account holder itself, for competent bodies, for European and national statistics, for the registry administrator, etc.).
CertifHy™ GO schemes are typically in Europe, however CertifHy’s™ objective is to go beyond Europe’s borders in the future.
CONTENT OF A CERTIFHY™ CERTIFICATES
CertifHy™ Certificates provide information about
- CertifHy™ Certificates identity: unique ID number, date of issuing, cancellation date
- Information on the plant which produced the hydrogen (location, start date of operation, operator...)
- Time of production of the hydrogen
- Energy source of the hydrogen (fuel or heat) and technology
- Whether the hydrogen production has received financial support or not
- Share of renewable energy
- Greenhouse gas intensity (amount of CO2 equivalent per unit of energy) of the hydrogen.
The full content of a CertifHy™ Certificates is defined in the CertifHy™ scheme which can be found here:
FOCUS: GHG CALCULATION AND ALLOCATION
Our GHG calculation is based on a methodology developed by CertifHy™ in collaboration with its stakeholders:
The greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity as established in the CertifHy™ GO is based on CO2 emissions of the whole production pathway (“well-to-gate”) to produce hydrogen with a purity of at least 99.9%vol and a gauge pressure of at least 3 MPa. The “Well-to-gate” pathway means CO2 emissions from exploration to the production process, including transportation until the production process.
For each production pathway (electrolysis, SMR + CCU, chloralkali, etc.), CertifHy™ performs a case study and develops a dedicated GHG allocation method which is then used as part of the CertifHy™ scheme.
