Anticipating Future Technologies

Exploring Green Hydrogen in New Zealand Media

Abstract

This paper explores the social dimensions of a potential green hydrogen transition in New Zealand. As an emerging technology, green hydrogen development and implementation is limited and therefore it is difficult to predict how such innovation will influence wider society. Social research is currently limited to acceptability studies which fail to capture the wider ideologies at play. Media articles offer a good opportunity to explore how the topic of green hydrogen is being introduced to the New Zealand public, helping us to understand how technical discourse is converted into conventional understanding. This research analyses contemporary media to identify the dominant narrative being presented to the public. Critiques of the dominant green hydrogen narrative show that this technology’s ‘business as usual’ approach has the potential to perpetuate contemporary energy system issues, suggesting that replacing fossil fuels is not enough to encourage social transformation. However, these critiques also suggest that there are opportunities to reimagine green hydrogen applications that better align with notions of energy justice and democracy.

Supervised by: Abbi Virens

Scholarship Project Funded by: GNS Green Hydrogen Programme NZ