Environment-system conflict (ENSY) in policy making and strategic analysis: a case study of hydrogen energy Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • Hydrogen energy systems are vulnerable to policy failures when processes are not properly assessed. A systemic approach is needed to address these issues by considering how the system interacts and conflicts with its surrounding environment. In this study, we developed the System-Environment Conflict (ENSY) framework as a novel and comprehensive tool for post-evaluating hydrogen energy policies. ENSY simultaneously considers both system and environmental perspectives, playing a prominent role in recognizing the feasibility and priorities of suggested hydrogen energy policies. The ENSY results for Mexico show that some policies in Institutions, Regulation, and Capacity Building can be implemented effectively without requiring ideal environmental conditions. Due to the inherent complexity of hydrogen energy and energy storage technologies (EST) integration, the policy to develop rules for their construction, operation, and retirement appeared impractical. Quantitative results demonstrated that policies in the Eligible Quadrant, such as regulatory integration and capacity building, exhibited consistent feasibility with average system improvement scores above 0.3. Conversely, policies in the Illogical Quadrant showed significant dependencies on ideal environmental conditions. ENSY provided valuable insights for policy implementation by considering optimistic and pessimistic scenarios, highlighting the adaptability of certain policies, and ultimately guiding a stepwise approach for desirable outcomes. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.

publication date

  • March 1, 2026