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Clean Hydrogen Partnership
  • Newsletter
  • 23 April 2021
  • 13 min read

FCH News Report

 

FCH News Report

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Dear reader,

With the recent proposal for a Clean Hydrogen Partnership as the successor of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), it has become clear that hydrogen is an investment priority in the EU’s recovery plan.

We were pleased to learn that our public-private partnership will continue its pivotal position in achieving the Union’s objectives put forward in the Green Deal. The Commission’s legislative proposal (the Single Basic Act), currently discussed within the European Parliament and the Council, will path the way for the future of a successful partnership.

More recently, the Commission launched an invitation to all members of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance to submit projects for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen solutions. The proposals will be reviewed within the next Hydrogen Forum (17-18 June) and encourages the creation of a truly competitive hydrogen sector that can achieve the ambitious European green energy transition.

In the meantime, our projects are relentlessly working on reaching their targets: Flagships will deploy in 2021 the world’s first commercial cargo transport vessel operating on hydrogen, plying the Seine river in Paris. FCH2RAIL was awarded a 10 million EUR grant that will allow the consortium to develop and test a hydrogen fuel train prototype. Together with our study - jointly commissioned with Shift2Rail JU – the FCH2RAIL project demonstrates the significant potential of FCH technologies in the railway environment. We take pride to support the European Year of Rail with this flexible and zero-emission hydrogen technology solution.

Enjoy the read. Stay safe and tuned!

Bart Biebuyck, FCH JU Executive Director

 
 
 
 
 

FCH JU Programme and Projects Updates

 

 

In focus: Hydrogen – driving the green revolution

European Commission, 14.04.2021 [fr] [de]

 
 
 

With more and more countries pledging climate neutrality, the world needs to find solutions to decarbonise every last part of our economy. Hydrogen is the word on everyone’s lips, and there are good reasons behind the hype. Because of its multifaceted and versatile nature, it can play a key role in addressing the challenges ahead.

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H2PORTS: Article Hydrogen as a driver for the decarbonisation of shipping Part of Today in the Lab - Tomorrow in Energy?

International Energy Agency, 29.03.2021 [fr] [de]

What is the aim of this project? The H2Ports project aims to boost the transition of the European port industry towards a safe, low-carbon operating model. The project involves piloting, evaluating and demonstrating new fuel cell technologies designed to decarbonise port terminals while increasing their energy efficiency and safety.

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FCH2RAIL: TME to supply fuel cell modules for FCH2Rail train project

newsroom-toyota, 07.04.2021 [fr] [de]

On the right track to develop a Bi-modal Fuel Cell Train. Almost half of the railway lines in the European Union are electrified and enable local emission-free rail transport. On the remaining sections of the lines, diesel powered trains are used. Within the EU project FCH2RAIL (Fuel Cell Hybrid....

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FLAGSHIPS: French Group to Launch World’s First Commercial Hydrogen Cargo Vessel

The Maritime Executive, 07.04.2021 [fr] [de]

Inland shipping is continuing to move forward in the race to launch the first hydrogen-powered vessels. A European project announced that it will deploy the world’s first commercial cargo transport vessel operating on hydrogen, sailing in Paris along the Seine river in 2021.

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PROMETEO: ENEA to coordinate 2,7 million euro EU project to reduce green hydrogen costs

ENEA - Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, 01.04.2021 [fr] [de]

Partner organizations in Italy also include Snam, BKF, SOLIDpower, and Maire Tecnimont Group. ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, will lead an interdisciplinary consortium of nine European partners to develop an innovative prototype....

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THyGA Impact of hydrogen admixture on combustion processes – Practice Deliverable D2.3

Gerg - The European Gas Research Group, 24.03.2021 [fr] [de]

The Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) project "Testing Hydrogen admixture for Gas Appliances", aka THyGA , is proud to release the second deliverable about the impact of hydrogen admixture on combustion processes. This time, the report explores the expected impact of H2NG on a range of appliance designs installed in the EU.

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JIVE 2: Iberdrola and TMB to build Spain first publicly used hydrogen plant

H2 Bulletin, 30.03.2021 [fr] [de]

Iberdrola (a Spanish multinational electric utility company) and TMB (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona) today (23rd February) signed a contract to supply green hydrogen to Barcelona’s urban bus fleet.

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Moving with the times: Light-duty vehicles running on hydrogen

H2View, 16.04.2021 [fr] [de]

Over the past few years the transport sector has witnessed the introduction and development of different types of hydrogen-powered vehicles: cars, vans, buses, trucks – and their associated infrastructure. Although the use of hydrogen fuel cells in HDVs, such as trucks, is still relatively new,....

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Pillars of Progress: Power – Farewell to fossils

H2View, 29.03.2021 [fr] [de]

The deployment of intermittent energy sources, like wind and solar, requires a system for balancing supply and demand. For regions that are not part of a larger energy system, this can be particularly problematic. The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) is demonstrating how flexible....

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Groningen Airport Eelde the First Hydrogen Valley Airport in Europe

FuelCellsWorks, 01.04.2021 [fr] [de]

Groningen Airport Eelde the first Hydrogen Valley Airport in Europe. Groningen Airport Eelde and New Energy Coalition are going to work together. The parties will cooperate intensively to make the airport more sustainable by means of hydrogen applications. Groningen Airport Eelde’s ambition is to become the most sustainable airport in Europe.

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Fact of the Month

 

 

Mainstream clean domestic heat and power with fuel cells using European technology

fch, 21.04.2021

 
 
 

Since its foundation in 2008, the FCH JU has supported the development of stationary fuel cells for μCHP applicattions with 17 projects with a total funding of 98 million EUR. A considerable part of funding has been provided for proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technologies.

A series of projects funded by the FCH JU have been working to make stationary fuel-cell systems more reliable and to drive the uptake of clean, on-site power generation:

  • The ENE.FIELD project installed over 1000 μCHP units across 10 European countries
  • PACE project , the successor of ENE.FIELD, uses new generation systems to produce efficient heat and electricity at home. With an objective to install over 2800 μCHP units through a network of 5 European companies, PACE is closer to unlock the market for fuel cell micro-cogeneration large scale uptake. To date over 1500 units have been installed

Building on the progress to date, and having achieved a large part of the 2020 targets, the revised Multi-Annual Working Plan (MAWP) of 2018 concluded that fuel cell μCHP will not pursue further field demonstration in the remaining mandate of FCH JU. However, a deeper analysis of the on-going results would determine the most suitable support required by the sector in any future funding programme.

Key achievements reported by FCH JU-funded projects:

  • +98% system availability achieved
  • seasonal power efficiencies of up to 60%
  • total system efficiencies of up to 95%
  • 30-50% CO2 savings when using natural gas
  • the only technology at the smallest scale able to use (green) hydrogen to generate heat and power with no CO2 emissions and zero pollution
  • strong European supply chain with main heating equipment suppliers offering fuel cell μCHP solutions
  • stimulated a European market demand of +15000 units
 
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Industry and Policy Headlines

 

 

Hydrogen: Commission launches project collection for European Clean Hydrogen Alliance investment pipeline

European Commission, 12.04.2021 [fr] [de]

 
 
 

This is an important step in building a pipeline of viable investment projects to deliver the objectives set out in the Hydrogen Strategy for a climate-neutral Europe . The deadline for submitting projects is 7 May. The next Hydrogen Forum meeting on 17-18 June will review the projects and provide opportunities for matchmaking.

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European climate law: Council and Parliament reach provisional agreement

EU Publications, 21.04.2021 [fr] [de]

Regarding the 2030 target, negotiators agreed on the need to give priority to emissions reductions over removals. In order to ensure that sufficient efforts to reduce and prevent emissions are deployed until 2030, they introduced a limit of 225 Mt of CO2 equivalent to the contribution of removals to the net target.

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Factsheet – the April 2021 sustainable finance package

DG Comm - EU Institutions Press Releases (English), 21.04.2021 [fr] [de]

You are here: Factsheet: EU sustainable finance: April package.

This site is managed by the Directorate-General for Communication.

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Gas networks – revision of EU rules on market access

EC, 22.04.2021

The Commission is preparing a review and a revision of the Gas Directive and Gas Regulation to ensure that the gas market framework contributes to the achievement of the more ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets ...

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How to decarbonise heavy industry: From quick wins to long-term solutions

Euractiv (English), 23.03.2021 [fr] [de]

The steel industry is a major contributor to the overall CO2 emissions worldwide, and, therefore, a significant driver of climate change. The sector generated about 2 billion tons of CO2 in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency, which is double the volume of 2000.

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Time to Accelerate the >$300 Billion Hydrogen Project Pipeline

Hydrogen Council, 17.03.2021 [fr] [de]

Hydrogen deployment across the globe is moving more rapidly than ever before. This trend was unmistakable throughout 2020, but now we also have the numbers to substantiate the enthusiasm: as of early 2021, over 30 countries have released hydrogen roadmaps and more than 200 large-scale projects have been announced along the value chain.

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Energy ministers urge for regulatory framework on hydrogen

Euractiv (English), 08.04.2021 [fr] [de]

European energy ministers have highlighted the need to create a stable regulatory framework for hydrogen in the European Union, capable of attracting private investors into a competitive and predictable market. Speaking at the conference “Hydrogen in Our Societies – Building Bridges” on Wednesday (7....

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Hydrogen: Hamburg Sets the Pace for Europe March 6, 2021

FuelCellsWorks, 05.04.2021 [fr] [de]

For Michael Westhagemann, Hamburg’s Senator for Economics and Innovations, he is “the key to climate neutrality” and the scientist Michael Fröba is even convinced that without him there will be no energy transition. We are talking about green hydrogen, the fuel and energy storage of the future.

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West Flanders Flanders invests in hydrogen as truck fuel 03 min

VRT - EN, 20.04.2021 [fr] [de]

The Flemish government is investing 125 million euros in a project designed to use hydrogen as a fuel for heavy goods vehicles. It’s one of 180 projects that form part of the Flemish Recovery Plan. In all Flanders is investing 4.3 billion euros.

Half the money comes from Flemish coffers. The rest is matched by the EU.

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Colruyt Group And AB Inbev Join Forces To Develop The Market For Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks In Belgium

FuelCellsWorks, 02.04.2021 [fr] [de]

Colruyt Group and AB Inbev intend to start emission-free deliveries by hydrogen* trucks between their logistics hubs in Belgium. On their way to zero-emission transport, the two companies want to build further on the hydrogen economy for heavy transport in Belgium.

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Alstom gets its first order for dual-mode electric-hydrogen trains (Alstom tient sa première commande de trains bi-mode électrique-hydrogène)

Ladépêche, 08.04.2021 [de]

Twelve trainsets (plus two optional) from the Coradia Polyvalent for Régiolis range developed by Alstom, for a total amount of nearly 190 million euros, have been ordered by SNCF Voyageurs. "The start of a real revolution in rail mobility" that is coming ....

Original text: Ce sont douze rames (plus deux optionnelles) issus de la gamme Coradia Polyvalent pour Régiolis développée par Alstom, pour un montant total de près de 190 millions d’euros qui ont été commandées par SNCF voyageurs. "Le début d’une véritable révolution dans la mobilité ferroviaire" qui vient....

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Toulouse. Hydrogen: the report which wants to make France the leader (Toulouse. Hydrogène : le rapport qui veut faire de la France le leader)

Ladépêche, 06.04.2021 [de]

It was at the Occitanie Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Blagnac that Didier Gardinal submitted his report on hydrogen to its president Alain Di Crescenzo, but the scope of the document is national or even European.

Original text:

C’est à la Chambre de commerce et d’industrie d’Occitanie à Blagnac que Didier Gardinal a remis son rapport sur l’hydrogène à son président Alain Di Crescenzo mais la portée du document est nationale voire européenne.

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Pays de la Loire. Hydrogen: Europe supports the H2 Loire Valley project
(Pays de la Loire. Hydrogène : l’Europe soutient le projet H2 Loire vallée | Presse Océan)

Presse Ocean, 06.04.2021 [de]

The project H2 Loire valley was selected by the European Commission within the call for projects CEF-Transport-Blending facility, aiming at the decarbonisation of transport in the European Union. The European Commission will fund over 20% of the eligible expenditure of the project H2 Loire valley.

Original text: Le projet H2 Loire Vallée a été sélectionné par la Commission européenne dans le cadre de l’appel à projet CEF-Transport-Blending facility, visant le déploiement des transports décarbonés dans l’Union européenne. La Commission européenne prendra ainsi en charge 20 % des dépenses éligibles du projet H2 Loire Vallée.

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Huge Franco-Spanish hydrogen project set create green hydrogen infrastructure

H2View, 01.04.2021 [fr] [de]

An industrial project anchored in the territories of France and Spain, Lacq Hydrogen is part of the Spanish Green Crane project to produce and export renewable hydrogen with some major pipeline developments. For the project, the aim is to deploy 6,800km of pipeline by 2030 to connect the “hydrogen....

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Portugal will have two “Hydrogen Valleys”, one in Sines and another on in North (Portugal vai ter dois “Hydrogen Valleys”, um em Sines e outro a norte)

aicep Portugal Global, 08.04.2021 [fr] [de]

According to the Secretary for Energy, João Galamba, these clusters "lower production costs and allow the faster creation of hydrogen value chains". Portugal plans to develop at least two “hydrogen valleys” in the coming years, that is, two clusters ....

Original text: De acordo com o secretário de Estado da Energia, João Galamba, estes clusters "baixam os custos de produção e permitem a criação mais rápida das cadeias de valor do hidrogénio". Portugal planeia desenvolver pelo menos dois “hydrogen valleys” nos próximos anos, ou seja, dois clusters....

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Upcoming Events

 

 

PRESLHY Dissemination Conference

Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, 26.02.2021 [fr] [de]

 
 
 

5-6/05/2021 PRESLHY project: pre-normative research for safe use of liquid hydrogen

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ESPO Conference Regatta 2021

Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, 01.03.2021 [fr] [de]

25-28/05/2021 FCH JU Participation

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Publication date
23 April 2021