The end of 2020 is fast approaching and a new year is around the corner. 2020 was certainly a year we will remember for a long time, on one hand we all suffered the consequences of the pandemic but on the other hand hydrogen has been never so high on each political agenda as in 2020. I believe this is not a coincidence, as our economies are hit hard by the pandemic, hydrogen has as part of the recovery actions a huge potential to create jobs and growth while addressing the climate change. Last week the European Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the recovery instrument NextGenerationEU were approved by the member states. This means that National governments and private actors can start building back the economy and hydrogen will play an essential role in that. It is safe to say that the Hydrogen decade has finally begun.
2020 has been a historical year for hydrogen, there were many highlights but the two prominent ones are without doubt the launch of the European Hydrogen Strategy including the Clean Hydrogen alliance and the organization of the first European Hydrogen Week. In addition we saw that many Member states announced their hydrogen strategy with a massive amount of financial support attached to it while other member states are working hard to finalize their Hydrogen strategy. The European Hydrogen Week brought together all the stakeholders and we could witness beside the enormous political support that the private members are ready to deliver and make the hydrogen economy a reality. I have 3 main takeaways: firstly it is time to start with awareness and education for the general public now that the sector goes into commercialisation. Secondly, with so many funding programs being it on EU, national or regional level and so many different instruments implementing those financial support schemes, coordination will be the highest priority if Europe wants to be successful on hydrogen. Finally, it was confirmed that research and demonstration is still very important to reduce further the costs of the technology and improve the performances. In 2021, the preparation of the next partnership will accelerate and those three points will be taken into account.
To conclude, I want to wish all of you a well-deserved yearend holiday. Take the time to relax and to enjoy the precious time with your family. 2021 will be again an important year for hydrogen and I wish that I can meet many of you again in person. Thank you so much for all your efforts and cooperation in 2020 and I wish you already a happy New Year.
Image: “The world is moving ahead on the need to decarbonise and the need to commit to climate neutrality — so in that context the importance of hydrogen increases on almost a daily basis,” said Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, at the....
“We are currently living through exceptionally challenging times … We now have a unique opportunity to build back better, create an economy that is fit for future challenges, is more competitive, inclusive, smarter and, of course, sustainable. Hydrogen is a key part of this journey,” said Henrik....
Image: The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Undertaking (FCH JU) presented the 2020 FCH JU Awards at the first European Hydrogen Week. Winning projects simplify and facilitate maintenance, speed up manufacturing and deploy clean fuel-cell technologies to the public to drive forward the energy transition.
This week marks the first-ever European Hydrogen Week (23rd to 27th Nov). Organised by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), the next...
during the Hydrogen Week . Over 300 participants from all over the world turned in to see the release of this new and exciting part of the portal! Considering the speed of market development and growing need to train a skilled workforce in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells, this section of the....
Image: The 2019 Programme Review Report presents the findings of the annual review by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC ) of all activities supported by the FCH 2 JU during 2018. It pays particular attention to the added value, effectiveness and techno-economic efficiency of FCH 2....
Image: A new independent fact-based Study on Fuel Cells Hydrogen Trucks commissioned by Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking and conducted by Roland Berger was released on 15 December 2020. The study provides an in-depth analysis of the market potential of heavy duty fuel cells trucks underpinned with concrete case studies.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are being supported by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), to help the development of cutting-edge...
Stationary applications for hydrogen fuel cell technologies was a key focus this morning as presentations continued in celebration of the first ever European Hydrogen Week,...
Hydrogen buses, passenger cars and associated infrastructure are in operation across Europe today, demonstrating that these vehicles and hydrogen stations can do the job of...
HyBalance Pioneering Facility Proves Power-to-Hydrogen to be a Viable Way to Balance the Grid and Transfer Renewables into Industry and Mobility November 30, 2020
One of Europe’s first facilities for the production of hydrogen by PEM water electrolysis on an industrial scale has achieved a number of important results. Led by Air Liquide, Cummins (through its Hydrogenics Europe business), Centrica Energy Trading, LBST and Hydrogen Valley, the facility in....
The foundation Hidrógeno Aragón participate in four new international projects in 2021 (Green Hysland: La Fundación Hidrógeno Aragón participará en cuatro nuevos proyectos internacionales en 2021)
The foundation Hidrógeno aragon participate in 2021 in four new international projects. Also during that year, it shall adopt a master plan to identify opportunities in the deployment of this technology. These are the issues that have characterised the meeting telematics of patronage....
Original text: La Fundación Hidrógeno Aragón participará en 2021 en cuatro nuevos proyectos internacionales. También durante el citado año, se aprobará un plan director para identificar oportunidades en el despliegue de esta tecnología. Estos son los temas que han protagonizado la reunión telemática del Patronato....
The president of the government has stressed the contribution of such initiatives to “help to meet two challenges: to make the transition ecological and serve as an engine for economic revival. In addition, will enable decarbonise operations, will facilitate the reduction of emissions and....
Original text:
La iniciativa, que cuenta con una inversión total de 4 millones de euros y está financiado por el programa Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), probará y validará las tecnologías de hidrógeno sobre maquinaria portuaria con el objetivo de contar con soluciones aplicables y reales sin afectar al rendimiento y seguridad de las operaciones portuarias y produciendo cero emisiones locales.
26.11.2020 12:12 COSMHYC project starts long-term tests of its innovative hydrogen compression solution Anette Mack Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit In October 2020, the COSMHYC consortium partners commissioned a metal hydride compressor prototype and officially started an outdoor testing phase that will last until February 2021.
What is the aim of this project? The H2Future project aims to produce “green” hydrogen – using electricity generated from renewable energy sources – for use in industrial processes such as the production of chemicals, iron and steel, food and semiconductors, as well as in oil and gas refineries and in mobility applications.
Valérie Bouillon-Delporte’s personal commitment to green technology began in the 1990s when she was working for the metal industry. It was there she observed that...
Henrik Hololei, the European Commission’s Director General for Mobility and Transport, this morning affirmed his support for hydrogen during day three of European Hydrogen Week.
GAIA - Next Generation Automotive Membrane Electrode Assemblies
fch, 10.12.2020
GAIA has the overall aim of developing high performance automotive membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) that integrate new materials and designs to reach the cost target and providing high power density at high current density. Building on previous developments from the FCH JU and on the extensive experience of the consortium members (OEMs, leading industrial and research organisations in fuel cell technology), the project will ensure the design aligns with the cost, durability and operational targets set by the call.
In nutshell the project’s goal is:
to develop world-leading materials and integrate them into a high performing MEAs delivering a power density of 1.8 W/cm2 at 0.6 V
to increase the durability of full size cell short stacks up to 6 000 h lifetime
to demonstrate that the MEAs can achieve the cost target of 6 €/kW for a production rate of 1 million m2/year
Despite the setback imposed by the current health and safety measures, the project has successfully achieved its mid-term goals in June 2020:
10-cells short stack reached the power-density target of 1.5W/cm3 at 0.6V under EU reference conditions
mass activity of 0.89 A/mgPt in a MEA with reduced cathode loading of 0.1 mgPt/cm2
membrane durability increased over 2 700 hours of drive cycle testing with a low voltage decay rate of 6 µV/hour
To achieve the final objectives, further developments and testing will include a new ionomer, membrane, catalyst compositions and designs, new catalyst layer constructions, tailored gas diffusion and microporous layers.
For an in-depth understanding of the project and the procedures followed, discover GAIA project and read their November newsletter.
We know you enjoyed the first edition of the European Hydrogen Week. The numbers are showing it. Five days overloaded with inspiring speeches and panel discussions on the key role of clean hydrogen in the race to decarbonise numerous sectors of our economy, case studies and plenty of networking opportunities would would be difficult to sum up.
Briefly this is how EHW 2020 looked like:
more than 100 speakers
over 260 projects showcased
4 Award categories
almost 965 beneficiaries
more than 265 SMEs featured
over 5 000 people attending from all corners of the world (60 countries)
around 1 900 bilateral meetings planned through the networking platform
the #EUHydrogenWeek hashtag was used 1384 times and generated over 7 774 000 impressions
Governments around the globe are realizing that hydrogen produced from renewable electricity will play an indispensable role in the effort to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. Hydrogen is a versatile and climate-neutral energy carrier that can be used to drive down greenhouse gas emissions in....
The European Commission has reviewed the initial calendar to take into account the delays incurred by the roundtables. In principle the lists of members of the roundtables will be published by the end of this week on DG Grow website , and their works are expected to be organised along the following....
Annexes to the proposal of the revised TEN-E Regulation
DG Comm - EU Institutions Press Releases (English), 15.12.2020 [fr][de]
EN EN EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 15.12.2020 COM(2020) 824 final ANNEXES 1 to 6 ANNEXES to the Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on guidelines for trans-European energy infrastructure and repealing Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 {SEC(2020) 431 final} - {SWD(2020)....
Coalition statement: Another milestone in the uptake of fuel cell trucks.
During the European Hydrogen Week, a milestone towards the decarbonisation of the heavy-duty industry in Europe was revealed: a supported by 62 signatories. OEMs, fuel cell and hydrogen technology suppliers, refuelling and....
(AGENPARL) – ABU DHABI (EMIRATI ARABI UNITI), lun 16 novembre 2020 Transforming the energy system is central to global climate action. With governments around the world taking drastic action and injecting trillions of public monies into economies to stimulate a COVID-19 recovery, non-state actors of the global energy community today.
The Netherlands celebrates Mission Innovation’s 5-year anniversary November 30, 2020 The Netherlands joined MI in 2016 because research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies (besides creating the necessary market conditions) are crucial to help achieve the long-term goal of a sustainable low-carbon energy system…
The Netherlands joined MI in 2016 because research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies (besides creating the necessary market conditions) are crucial to help achieve the long-term goal of a sustainable low-carbon energy system. And since we are all facing the same challenge,....
The German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia has presented a hydrogen roadmap. The targets to be met by 2030 include 11,000 fuel cell trucks over 20 tons, 200 hydrogen filling stations for trucks and cars, 1,000 fuel cell waste bins and 3,800 fuel cell buses for public transport.
The project has been on the drawing board since 2014 in a collaboration between Eurowind Energy, Dutch headquartered Corre Energy and Danish state-owned Energinet and is named Green Hydrogen Hub Denmark (GHH). The ambition is to establish a complete Power to X value chain by 2025 comprising of an....
The Coradia iLint is fully approved for the Austrian network and has successfully completed passenger operation tests with ÖBB Alstom’s Coradia iLint, the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell train, has just completed three months of successful test operation on ÖBB’s (Austrian Federal Railways) regional lines.
November 20 (Renewables Now) - Spanish train manufacturer Talgo SA (BME:TLGO) in Thursday said that it will have a hydrogen-powered train ready in 2023. The train will be named Talgo Vittal-One, with One referring to hydrogen’s placement on the periodic table, the company said.
Rail operators in Italy and Germany are turning to hydrogen power in an attempt to make their train networks more environmentally friendly, with Deutsche Bahn, partnering up with Siemens, among the trailblazers.
HEINEKEN, part of the Hydrogen revolution for sustainable transport
Duurzaam Ondernemen | Online kenniscentrum op het gebied van duurzaam ondernemen en maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen (MVO), 25.11.2020 [fr][de]
Transport accounts for 11% of the overall carbon footprint of HEINEKEN and, as a key pillar of the Brewing a Better World strategy, the company is committed to investing in innovative and sustainable solutions for its logistics. Together with a broad coalition of consumer goods companies, vehicle....
ElringKlinger AG and VDL Bus & Coach have agreed on a strategic partnership within the area of fuel cell technology. The cooperation agreement, that will last until 2021, provides for the development and industrialization of fuel cell stacks and systems for mobile and stationary applications.
Italian power utility and energy provider Eni have announced a plan to deploy 20 MW of hydrogen generation capacity between 2022 and 2023. In a joint press release, the two companies specified that two 10 MW electrolyzers will be built at unspecified Eni refineries in Italy, “where green hydrogen appears to be the best decarbonization option.
• an industrialized and competitive offer across the entire value chain: hydrogen vessels, fuel cell stack and integrated hydrogen system • a rapidly expanding market from 2025 climbing to at least 2 million vehicles by 2030 • €3 billion in revenue for Plastic Omnium in 2030 following an annual investment of €100 million over the coming years.
Enel Group CEO Francesco Starace spoke at the European Hydrogen Forum, a major event gathering industry leaders, policy-makers, government representatives as well as the research community with the aim to steer the potential for green hydrogen alongside discussing the latest developments in the field.
Repsol unveiled its strategic plan for the years 2021 to 2025, during which it will advance in its net zero emissions objective with a project that accelerates transformation while maintaining a strong cash flow to finance ambitious growth and attractive shareholder distribution.
Students in the town of Hoogeveen in the Northern Netherlands, kicked-off the building of a mobile, Hydrogen-tiny house. The project relies on re-used and sustainable materials only. Progress of the project can be followed via the waterstoftinyhouse.nl website.
Under the Mission Innovation Innovation Challenge 8 (IC8) "Renewable and Clean Hydrogen " and on behalf of the European Commission, the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is pleased to invite you to the official launch event of the Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valley Platform on 19 January, 11:00 – 13:00 CET.
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