News: Alternative Power

EUROPE REPORT 

Rotterdam, the Netherlands–During the World Hydrogen Summit (WHS) here many industry leaders, politicians and stakeholders came together to discuss the state of the art of this growing industry.  The event, held at Rotterdam Ahoy centre between May 13-15, was one of the largest global meetings for the hydrogen industry.  During the conference, many topics were covered, but some were more central amongst the panels PSR attended.  

The time of the hydrogen hype is over, and while there has not been the revolution seen in previous years, different projects across the globe have been launched, stating the start of a new and more mature phase in the hydrogen industry. 

While Europe has very ambitious targets, the industry asked for more support from institutions, and more clarity on objectives and regulations.  Currently, the EU focus is on Green hydrogen, while some of the industry representatives asked for the definition of a low carbon hydrogen category to boost projects in this initial phase of transition. 

The United States presents a more intricate and ambiguous scenario, as the upcoming November election raises questions about the longevity of incentives beyond this year. 

Globally, many countries are emerging as candidates to fuel energy decarbonization.  Morocco, wants to become one of the main exporters of green energy to the EU, and a major player in the production of Green Hydrogen.  The country has abundant solar and wind resources, and already the gas pipeline infrastructures connected to Europe.

Similarly, different countries in the Middle East are looking at the green economy transition as an opportunity to grow.  Oman is among these, with many projects already signed off to develop both renewable energy facilities, and hydrogen production projects. 

On the other hand, the Netherlands, and in particular the city of Rotterdam, are investing significant resources to become one of Europe leaders in the hydrogen economy.  The port of Rotterdam has a developed infrastructure for the distribution of natural gas, and they want to leverage their pipelines to become one of Europe’s gateways for the imports of hydrogen in the old continent.  They have already developed corridors with German, Belgium, France and the Scandinavian countries.   The large infrastructure, and the strong gas industry in the country will allow the Dutch to become a major player in the decarbonization of the European energy sector.  PSR

Emiliano Marzoli is Manager-European Operations for Power Systems Research