Modelling the Environmental Performance of Hydrogen Energy Systems: A Systematic Life Cycle Assessment Review

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become a key methodological framework for evaluating the environmental performance of hydrogen-based energy systems within the context of the global energy transition. As hydrogen gains prominence as a low-carbon energy carrier, understanding the environmental implications associated with its production and storage pathways is essential to support robust technological and strategic decisions. This study presents a systematic review of the application of LCA to hydrogen production and storage systems for energy use. The review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, using a structured search strategy in major scientific databases with keywords related to “Life Cycle Assessment,” “hydrogen production,” “hydrogen storage,” and “energy systems.” Peer-reviewed articles published between 2018 and 2025 were included if they applied full or partial LCA approaches (cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave, or gate-to-gate) to hydrogen technologies. Data were extracted on system boundaries, functional units, impact assessment methodologies, databases, and modelling tools. The results show that the most common functional units were 1 kg of H₂ produced, 1 MJ of energy delivered, and 1 kWh stored. ReCiPe (2008 and 2016), CML, and EF 3.0/3.1 were the predominant impact assessment methods, while SimaPro was the most widely used software, followed by GaBi and openLCA. Global Warming Potential (GWP) emerged as the most frequently reported impact category. Overall, the review confirms that LCA provides a robust system-level modelling framework to quantify environmental impacts across the hydrogen value chain, identify environmental hotspots, and compare technological configurations using a multi-criteria perspective, thereby supporting informed decisions for the sustainable development of hydrogen energy systems.