The level of maturity of the existing technical rules for the production of hydrogen by water electrolysis is relatively advanced. However, there are still gaps in terms of uniform evaluation criteria and international harmonization. Other types of hydrogen production, such as those through biological fermentation, photosynthetic, or thermochemical processes, are still in the early stages of development and no corresponding standards exist.

Based on their use as chemical products, a large number of standards and technical rules exist for liquid, cryogenic hydrogen (LH2) and hydrogen derivatives (e.g., NH3, methanol, LOHC). New regulations must be developed to meet the requirements for wider use as an energy source and storage medium. Successful market ramp-up requires more pre-normative research and uniform, publicly accessible standardization.

Existing technical rules can be used for total system integration - the economically efficient and grid-friendly interaction of the electricity, heat and gas infrastructures. However, the collection of technical rules must now be expanded, for example by implementing uniform communication standards to ensure a fluid, cross-sectoral exchange of data and to enable the integration of hydrogen production and utilization facilities into the existing energy system.

Many power plant and industrial hydrogen applications are already operational and state of the art. The majority of existing standards usually require little or no adaptation to integrate safety requirements and other influences of the market ramp-up, such as new or improved technologies, into existing standards

In the field of measurement technology, there are already a large number of applicable technical rules for analysis, measurement and billing. The corresponding analysis, measuring device and meter standards are currently being developed or revised. Procedures for calibration, verification of precision and online gas analysis also need to be adapted in order to comply with the guidelines and specifications of the calibration and measurement regulations.

In the area of mobility, the level of normative coverage varies greatly.

A large number of standards already exist for filling systems, but there are still some gaps to be filled in order to develop all the necessary filling system standards for safe hydrogen mobility.

In shipping, the existing DIN, EN and ISO standards and ship-related technical rules for inland and maritime shipping are being reviewed, supplemented and further developed to include hydrogen and its derivatives for use as a fuel. In addition to the use of hydrogen as an on-board fuel, the ship-shore interface and ship-side storage for transportation are also taken into account.

The use of hydrogen in road transport is well covered by standards, and there are only a few gaps in standards and technical rule collections.

The first technical rules in the electrotechnical field have been issued for rail vehicles. In addition, standards from other sectors are used because they are interface technologies. Rail-specific requirements for refuelling, storage and safety aspects are currently being focused on. As there are currently hardly any standards and technical rules in the aviation sector, there is a need for standardization in several areas, such as refuelling, test methods and cleanliness of the hydrogen used.

Existing technical rules can be used for special vehicles; the challenge here is to work out specific standardization requirements, as further developments are currently still unclear.

Already a large number of standards exist making it possible to certify products that use hydrogen. For plant technology and production international standards are available.. There are also already a large number of certification schemes that can be applied nationally in order to meet the European legal requirements for the approval of products until the corresponding European Standards for hydrogen have been revised. Nevertheless, there are still considerable gaps that need to be closed in the coming years in order to accelerate the market ramp-up and standardize approval.

For safety- and security-related aspects, including cyber security, there are already a large number of technical rules that define requirements for specific fields of application. The new and broader application of hydrogen technologies results in additions and changes to the relevant safety standards and technical rules, including for operational explosion protection, the handling of cryogenic hydrogen and the evaluation of safety concepts for manufacturers, operators and licensing authorities.

A large number of technical rules exist for stationary and mobile pressure vessels, some of which need to be adapted to the new requirements of a mass market. New technologies must also be accompanied by standards and technical rules, which must be developed for better market access, thereby taking into account safety, economic efficiency and technological openness. In the area of underground gas storage facilities, an existing set of technical rules for the natural gas sector can be used as a basis. The technical rules need to be expanded in line with the requirements for hydrogen applications, and the conditions specific to underground gas storage facilities need to be taken into account.

The topic of fuel cell energy systems is well covered by standards, many of which are already available in a revised version. For thermal power plants, the existing technical rules need to be expanded to include the specific requirements for hydrogen applications., e.g. in the area of combustion technology.

An almost complete set of technical rules is available for the grid-based supply of hydrogen. The gaps, for example the adaptation of operating processes to hydrogen or the harmonization and specification of uniform training content for handling the medium hydrogen by employees, were identified as part of the Standardization Roadmap and will now be closed in a timely manner.  Some of the technical rules are already entering the next iteration of revision in order to further develop the state of the art with the findings from research projects.

In the field of heat supply, already many safety and product standards exist dealing with appliance components. Many national certification schemes make it possible to bring technologies onto the market. For equipment technology, the current standards at European level and the installation and application technical rules still need to be adapted.

The core standards for specifying the quality and composition of hydrogen (blends) for applications are available. At national level, the same applies to transmission - although these standards still need to be raised to European or international level in order to ensure international connectivity. There are many specific requirements in the area of verification and sustainability aspects, but these have not yet been harmonized with the regulations.

Qualified personnel are needed for the market ramp-up of hydrogen. The necessary knowledge can be imparted on the basis of existing technical rules. Hereby, it is essential that the qualification requirements are adapted to hydrogen. What is particularly important is to break down the historically evolved and non-transparent legal framework in order to clearly define the necessary qualifications for the specific field of work. The requirements must be set sufficiently high without creating market barriers.

For metallic materials, composites and plastics, the existing technical regulations must be partially revised for the use of hydrogen and identified gaps must be closed, in particular the definition and validation of test methods and measurement technology, and the description of material behavior when exposed to hydrogen.