From fossil fuel energy to hydrogen energy: Transformation of fossil fuel energy economies into hydrogen economies through social entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in global sustainable development, enhancing the quality of life and preserving environmental, human, and social capital. However, when it comes to the energy transition, it faces numerous challenges and experiences conflicts in terms of costs, technological innovation, and public policies. This study seeks to illustrate one of the new alternative energy schemes which could replace fossil fuels in the future: hydrogen. This transformation would result in significant social impacts, leading to the question, "how should it be done?" Social entrepreneurship can integrate socio-economic actors and agents and help them to devise and implement new forms of energy innovation. Therefore, a descriptive qualitative methodology was implemented, that allows us to analyze the process of building entrepreneurship with a social vision and to propose a model that enables the transition from fossil economies to the hydrogen economies. Among the most significant results, the importance of the support of the three primary axes of each country and the role of social entrepreneurship as a key element for the transition stand out. The discussion contributes to the debate on the path that academia should lead, and the fundamental role of entrepreneurship based on social conscience as a driver of change. (c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.