Nature Energy, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02139-x

Realized green hydrogen demand lags behind policy targets but could be accelerated by accounting for spatial spillovers, which refer to demand-side interdependencies where adoption by one user encourages further adoption by nearby users. Revising EU green hydrogen policies, including Hydrogen Valleys and European Hydrogen Bank auctions, to better account for these location-specific demand-side patterns could improve their effectiveness.

Nature Energy, Published online: 17 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02126-2

EU green hydrogen policies could be more effective if they accounted for spatial spillovers. These spillovers are a primary driver of diffusion, and spatially informed demand-side policies could improve cost-effectiveness by up to 41%.