Participation in European Hydrogen Valleys Partnership
Sogn og Fjordane and Hordaland County (soon to be Vestland county) are one of the regions selected for the European Hydrogen Valleys Partnership. Ocean Hyway Cluster has been working with the counties, providing information on companies and activities relevant to involve in this project. We also participate in the workshops on behalf of our members in the cluster. Next workshop will be held in Brussels October 15th.
Some background information: Decarbonisation of the global economy is one of the essential challenges of the 21st century. The reduction of GHG emissions is key to mitigate global warming and its effects on human societies and ecosystems. In this framework, the EU set up an ambitious objective: to be the first climate neutral economy by 2050. The European Hydrogen Valleys Partnership falls within this context.
Leading regions in blue, participating regions in yellow
Fuel cells and hydrogen (FCH) technologies have the potential to play a key role in this energy transition process. Indeed, fuel cells and hydrogen provide a safe and competitive zero-emission solution for a growing number of applications, when produced as “green hydrogen” with renewable energy sources. By providing means of storage, hydrogen solves, in conjunction with other technologies like batteries for instance, the imbalance between energy supply and demand, therefore avoiding energy waste and facilitating the integration of renewable energies within the energy grid. To achieve the decarbonization of the EU economy, FCH technologies are, thus, a promising solution which needs to be further deployed.
The key objectives of the partnership are the following:
· Develop the technological readiness and the commercial availability of FCH applications
· Overcome the lack of access to information and expertise in the field hydrogen
· Facilitate match-making and co-investment between European regions
· Strengthen the value chain for FCH technologies via interregional cooperation
· Contribute to the decarbonization of the EU’s economy
· Green the production of hydrogen
· Be an active stakeholder on EU policy making on hydrogen
Any questions about this project? Contact Stein Kvalsund or Maria Brandsøy.