Page 35 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2019 publication

Autumn 2019 European Energy Innovation 35
How to kick-start the EU
hydrogen industry to achieve
the EU climate goals?
By Jorgo Chatzimarkakis,
Secretary General,
Hydrogen Europe
The necessity to have a low carbon
society and push for an effective
and affordable energy transition has
become a global priority. Europe
should be at the fore front of the fight
to decarbonise the energy system
and, in this context, hydrogen has
a key role to play due to its multi-
talented characteristics: it’s an energy
carrier, a fuel and a raw material at
the same time.
With these important targets in mind,
the European Commission is working
to help industry achieve the climate
goals via the Important Project of
Common European Interest (IPCEI)
which is a specific possibility to find
aid compatible with the internal
market.
IPCEIs are about disruptive and
ambitious research and innovation,
beyond the state of the art in the
sector; followed by first industrial
deployment, which is in the short
period where very important R&D&I
are still necessary (e.g.: to scale up
a pilot line); actions by beneficiaries
to generate positive spill-over
effects – throughout the EU – on the
knowledge and results they generate
in the IPCEI beyond their business as
usual (quantitatively and qualitatively).
Hydrogen has been selected as a
strategic value chain and, therefore,
one or even several IPCEIs on
hydrogen are being prepared. This
includes a significant number of
projects in all the areas important for
the sector such as:
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
COMMUNICATION
• generation of green hydrogen from not bring hydrogen prices down
renewable energy sources; to the necessary level at the
desired locations to drive big
• transportation of hydrogen e.g. via volume applications. In order to
dedicated pipelines; break this deadlock, a kick-start
for the involved technologies and
• zero-emission mobility; a massive investment in green
• industry applications e.g. based hydrogen production is necessary. On
09.10.2019 Hydrogen Europe and DG
on hydrogen as a decarbonised GROW are organizing the “Hydrogen
chemical feedstock; for Climate Action” conference
• energy applications e.g. large scale (www.hydrogen4climateaction.eu)
and seasonal storage of renewable that should serve as the initial step
energy; of a hydrogen launch platform in
• housing sector e.g. via residential order to better determine the most
fuel cells and promising applications and to bring
• end user driven applications. together the relevant industrial actors
in the EU as well as the relevant
Many of the technologies are well financing sources from all European
developed, but applications are – regions. l
as of today – not yet commercially
viable, because of the supply
demand dead-lock which does
About Hydrogen Europe
Hydrogen Europe is the European association representing the interest
of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry and its stakeholders. We promote
Hydrogen as the enabler of a zero-emission society. With more than 130
companies, 70 research organisations and 17 national associations as
members, our association encompasses the entire value chain of the
European Hydrogen and fuel cell ecosystem collaborating in the Fuel
Cell Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. We are a Brussels-based association
fostering knowledge and pushing for fact-based policy making ensuring
that the European regulatory framework enables the role of Hydrogen in
our society. For more information, please visit www.hydrogeneurope.eu
and follow us on Twitter @H2Europe!