Author Image Posted By : admin 21 Jul, 2025

News on the Hydrogen and Guarantees of Origin Market

hydrogen and guarantees of origin (GO) system

The latest EU report titled “Technical assistance to monitor functioning of the guarantees of origin (GO) system” provides an in-depth look at the GOs market and its impact on renewable energy and hydrogen tracking.

✅ Key Takeaways

📌 The GO market has achieved a healthy level of liquidity.

📌 While transparency has improved, price discovery remains limited. GO prices vary based on factors such as technology, region, and additionality – factors not always visible to consumers. Forecasting prices remains difficult due to elements of monopolistic competition.

📌 More than 90% of hydropower, 50% of wind, and 30% of solar electricity production in Europe is currently tracked via GOs.

📌 The GO system is effective in tracking renewable electricity, but further harmonization is needed to reduce the risk of misuse.

📌 Hydrogen

  • As of the end of 2023: only 0.4% of EU hydrogen production was based on water electrolysis (45 tonnes or 1.5 GWh).
  • An additional 9.2% (1,033 tonnes or 34 GWh) was produced as a green by-product (e.g., from chlor-alkali electrolysis).
  • The Hydrix index (as of January 2025) estimates green hydrogen prices in Germany at €7.80–€9.50/kg, roughly 2.5x higher than grey hydrogen (€3–€4/kg).

📌 Hydrogen GO trading volumes

  • RFNBO certification has only been possible since December 2024.
  • Until now, certified green hydrogen has only been traded via GOs or Non-Governmental Certificates (NGCs).
  • Assuming certification, 1,500 GOs could have been issued in 2023 for hydrogen produced via electrolysis.
  • While only a few EU Member States are active in the gas GO market and even fewer support EU-wide GO trading, interest in GOs is growing:
    • Smaller projects often opt for GOs/NGCs due to lack of RFNBO compliance.
    • Larger projects (many pre-FID) are preparing for RFNBO certification to benefit from offtake obligations under the compliance market.

➡️ Source: Technical assistance to monitor functioning of the guarantees of origin (GO) system