2024 Clean Hydrogen Partnership Awards: Stars are Made of Hydrogen

The awards were held during the annual European Hydrogen Week and recognized achievements in five categories: Best Success Story, Best Innovation, Best Outreach and European Hydrogen Valleys. The Women in Hydrogen Innovation Award was introduced this year, to encourage the participation of more women engineers and scientists in the development of clean hydrogen technologies.

Best Success Story: Portable Power 

The winner, EVERYWH2ERE, was selected by public vote, out of six nominees. The project designed and built an easy-to-install, transportable generator that can supply temporary power in places such as construction sites, cultural events, and ports. Combining fuel cell stacks with hydrogen technology eliminates the need for noisy and polluting diesel generators. 

‘This recognition highlights the potential of portable hydrogen-powered generators to transform sustainable energy solutions across diverse industries,’ said Danica Maljković, Chair of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership governing board, presenting the award.

‘We are grateful for the public’s support and proud to have contributed to advancements in clean, portable power that can make a real impact in reducing emissions and promoting green energy. This award motivates us to keep pushing the boundaries of what hydrogen technology can achieve’ said Andrea Bombardi, Global Market Development Executive Vice President at RINA, the company coordinating the project. 

Best Innovation Award: on track for success 

This year’s winner, FCH2RAIL, contributed to the ongoing development of clean rail transport. To ensure that diesel trains can be retrofitted to run on hydrogen, the project built a testing system that does not require the use of a real train. The tests can determine the performance and operation of the individual parts of a fuel cell hybrid power pack or of the complete system. 

The project developed a fuel cell hybrid power system for different rail applications and that can be retrofitted in existing electric and diesel trains.

“The fast and professional realisation of the test bench for the Fuel Cell Hybrid Powerpack and the tests made it possible validate and optimize the FCHPP systems early before they have been used in the demonstrator train. This paid off during the demonstration of the H2 train, which delivered the expected functionality and performance from day one,” said Holger Dittus, coordinator of the project from the company DLR. 

Six projects had been nominated for the award. The award was presented by Joanna Drake, Deputy Head of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, who commended the awards and the role of the partnership: “The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is worldwide regarded as one of the main drivers of the hydrogen revolution. Today we are proudly rewarding the top projects and beneficiaries of funding for their excellent achievements in 2024”.

Best Outreach: setting sail for clean waterborne transport

The Best Outreach award provides a strong message that effective outreach and communication are vital to accelerating the adoption of hydrogen technologies. By sharing knowledge and showcasing tangible successes, we are building confidence in hydrogen as a cornerstone of the clean energy transition. 

The winner, FLAGSHIPS, retrofitted the diesel-powered H2 Barge 2 with hydrogen fuel cells. Launched on 8 February 2024, the vessel is used on the Rhine to transport containers between Rotterdam and Duisburg. The project will also start to demonstrate the Zulu 6, a newly built cargo barge, on the Seine in Paris, making it the first hydrogen-powered barge to sail on a French waterway. Both vessels will be kept in normal commercial operation after the project’s 18-month demonstration period.

‘We are truly honoured to be recognised by the EU for our work,’ said Jyrki Mikkola, project coordinator and senior scientist at Finland’s VTT research centre. ‘Our project has illustrated hydrogen's critical role in achieving zero-emission maritime transport. Knowledge-sharing about our innovations is essential as market enthusiasm grows.’ 

Mirela Atanasiu, Head of Communications at the Clean Hydrogen Partnership presented the award: "Projects like FLAGSHIPS demonstrate the transformative potential of hydrogen in achieving zero-emission transport, but their impact also comes from inspiring and informing the wider maritime sector and beyond. Congratulations to the FLAGSHIPS team for not only advancing innovation but also leading the way in communicating the possibilities of a sustainable future." 

European Hydrogen Valleys: adding value across multiple sectors 

Now in its third year, this award goes to regional projects that are leaders in integrated hydrogen production, supply, storage and use across multiple sectors. Both large and small-scale European valleys are eligible for the prize. Projects are scored using six criteria: value chain coverage, hydrogen production volume, variety of end uses, project finalisation, diversity of stakeholders and innovation. The award was presented by Joanna Drake from the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.

The two winning European hydrogen valleys are Triērēs Valley in Greece and Hydrogen Valley Emsland in Germany. They were selected out of 73 listed on the Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valley Platform.

Triērēs Valley

The project aims to produce 2 410 tonnes of green hydrogen annually for road and maritime transport, industry and energy. The initiative brings together 26 partners from five countries. This valley’s innovative funding structure uses both private and public financing from sources that include the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (Horizon Europe), the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Investment Bank. 

Konstantinos Chatzifotis, EU Affairs Manager at lead developer Motor Oil Hellas, said recognition from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership was testament to the consortium’s work to make Greece a hydrogen hub in the Balkans, south-eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.

‘Triērēs exemplifies how green hydrogen can be woven into multiple sectors through strategic collaboration with local and regional governments, public and private companies, research and academia excellence,’ he said.

The consortium’s goal was to build sustainable hydrogen markets while fostering public awareness and understanding of hydrogen’s potential, he added.

‘This award not only celebrates Triērēs’ tangible achievements and increasing impact but also energises our mission to keep building a scalable, interconnected hydrogen ecosystem that contributes to the EU’s climate neutrality.’

Hydrogen Valley Emsland 

From its origins as a small-scale project with a 6 MW electrolyser in the Emsland district of Lower Saxony, this valley has expanded to 22 MW capacity. More projects are underway to increase this to 400 MW. 

Emsland is an ideal location for a hydrogen valley as it is located between the North Sea coast and the industrial Ruhr area and has extensive renewable energy resources. The support of regional companies, local governments and research institutions should help establish a complete green hydrogen market, from production and transport to end-use in industry and mobility.

Tim Husmann, Managing Director H2-Region Emsland, said cooperation and commitment were essential to the success of regional hydrogen clusters.

‘This award recognises the efforts of our companies and partners over the past few years to develop the Hydrogen Valley Emsland into one of the beacon regions for building the European hydrogen economy,’ he said.

Women in Hydrogen Innovation: recognizing talent

Clean Hydrogen JU initiated this award in 2024 to further encourage the participation of women in the development, deployment and promotion of clean hydrogen technologies. 

The first winner of this award is Deborah Jones, Research Director at the CNRS and head of the laboratory for aggregates, interfaces and materials for energy at the Institute for Molecular Chemistry and Materials, Montpellier University, France.

‘Innovation in hydrogen technologies is central to further accelerate decarbonisation,’ she said. ‘Recognising the contributions women are making to the field is important in encouraging greater female involvement. I am delighted to be distinguished in this way by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.’ 

Her interests include the development and analysis of materials used in hydrogen technologies, particularly those in proton and anion exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolysers. She has authored or co-authored over 250 publications and been awarded several patents for inventions related to the materials used in fuel cells and electrolysers. 

Her many leadership roles include associate director of the ‘Key Challenge’ on clean hydrogen, which gathers all academic research laboratories working on hydrogen topics in the Occitania region of France.

“An award dedicated to recognizing women in this industry is timely and crucial for fostering equality, inspiring future generations, and accelerating progress in the energy transition” said Valérie Bouillon-Delporte, Executive Director, Clean Hydrogen Partnership who presented the award together with Alessia D'Addabbo, representing the Women in Green Hydrogen network. By honouring women in hydrogen, the hydrogen industry can demonstrate that inclusion and innovation go hand in hand, paving the way for a more equitable and innovative energy future.”

Last but not least, Hydrogen Europe Research have presented their Young Scientist Award 2024, rewarding young researchers who have personally contributed to hydrogen-related projects. This competition revolves around four pillars, reflecting the structure of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. One young scientist was awarded in each pillar, while “Best Researcher of the Year”, was elected Paolo MAROCCO, from Politecnico di Torino. The awards were presented by Luigi Crema, president of Hydrogen Europe Research.