Aliaksei (Alex) Patonia
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Geography and the Environment
Supervisors: Prof Jim Hall and Prof Jan Rosenow
Research clusters: Infrastructure Systems (OPSIS), Environmental Interactions (Energy, ONE: Oxford Energy Network), Climate Systems (ONE: Oxford Energy Network) and Technological Life.
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Geography and the Environment
Supervisors: Prof Jim Hall and Prof Jan Rosenow
Research clusters: Infrastructure Systems (OPSIS), Environmental Interactions (Energy, ONE: Oxford Energy Network), Climate Systems (ONE: Oxford Energy Network) and Technological Life.
Towards a system-level framework for the costs of clean hydrogen adoption
Academic Profile
Aliaksei (Alex) Patonia is a DPhil student in the School of Geography and the Environment, working on the infrastructure systems, economics, and governance of hydrogen deployment for net-zero energy transitions. His research examines how hydrogen infrastructure interacts with wider energy systems, markets, and policy frameworks, with a particular focus on uncertainty, risk, and decision-making at scale.
His work combines techno-economic analysis with systems thinking to assess hydrogen production, transport, storage, and end-use infrastructure, and their implications for energy security, investment, and justice. A key aim of the research is to inform robust infrastructure and policy choices under deep uncertainty in the context of decarbonisation.
Alongside his DPhil, Alex is a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, where he works within the Hydrogen Research Programme. His research engages closely with policymakers, industry, and international organisations on the practical challenges of scaling hydrogen infrastructure across regions and sectors.
Selected publications
- Patonia, A. and Poudineh, R. (forthcoming, 2026) Clean hydrogen for decarbonisation: Why it won’t be the ‘next oil’ but why it still matters. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Patonia, A. and Rushton, H. (2026) Bankability of hydrogen projects: Key risks, financing challenges, and mitigating solutions. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
- Lin, N., Patonia, A., Shuster, M., Lambert, M., and Zhang, T. (2026) Natural hydrogen techno-economics and valuation. Applied Energy, 408: 1-18.
- Patonia, A. (2025) Green hydrogen and its unspoken challenges for energy justice. Applied Energy, 377: 1-11.
- Patonia, A., Lambert, M., Lin, N. and Shuster, M. (2025) Underground storage for decarbonisation: Hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and natural gas. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
- Lentschig, H., Patonia, A., and Quitzow, R. (2025) Multilateral governance in a global hydrogen economy. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 97: 76-87.
- Patonia, A., Lambert, M., Lin, N., and Shuster, M. (2024) Natural (geologic) hydrogen and its potential role in a net-zero carbon future. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
- Lambert, M. and Patonia, A. (2024) Europe’s REPowerEU Hydrogen Plan two years on: a progress update. Oxford Energy Forum, 141, pp. 38-40.
- Patonia, A., Lenivova, V., Poudineh, R., and Nolden, C. (2023) Hydrogen pipelines vs. HVDC lines: Should we transfer green molecules or electrons? Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
