Brussels, Belgium — November 21st, 2024 — The HYPOP Project, an initiative funded by the European Union and supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its members, is proud to have actively participated at the European Hydrogen Week 2024 in Brussels.
This European Exhibition brought together leading experts, policymakers, and innovators to discuss the latest developments in hydrogen technology, policy, and markets. As part of its engagement activity, the HYPOP project took part in the event to actively share its objectives and findings with the international audience. The participation aimed to raise awareness of the importance of public stakeholders’ involvement in the hydrogen acceptance process, with a focus on the successful implementation of hydrogen installations in mobility and residential applications and the different permitting and safety approaches throughout Europe.
Key Highlights of HYPOP’s Participation:
Stakeholder Engagement Workshop (November 19th, 2024):
On the 19th of November, HYPOP hosted a successful workshop engaging stakeholders from across the hydrogen sector on “Hydrogen mobility and residential applications: Safety and Permitting approaches around Europe”. The event facilitated discussions on the project’s results regarding safety and permitting on hydrogen installations, considering both commercial and pre-commercial technologies in mobility and residential applications. Best practices around Europe were shown, also through EU Projects such as MultHyFuel, H2Ports, FCH2Rail, and REMOTE. European experts representing industry, certification bodies, research, and civil society involved in hydrogen technology implementation also shared their contribution: Hydrogen Europe, TUV SUD, Centro Nacional del Hidrógeno, Aragon Hydrogen Foundation, Politecnico di Torino, KIWA, RINA Consulting, Hydrogen Poland Association, Central Finland Mobility Foundation (Cefmof).
The main focus of the discussion has been different national regulations, procedures for obtaining permits from institutional authorities (firefighters, local and regional governments), and technical standards for specific hydrogen devices. Overall, it appeared that, despite some best practices, clear rules on hydrogen technology installations and use are often missing or unclear in most of the EU countries, and this represents a barrier to the overall hydrogen economy deployment. A final roundtable also discussed the importance of public and institutional stakeholders’ cooperation as a way to overcome such barriers. The discussion generated valuable ideas and perspectives, such as:
- To cooperate with institutions to implement new regulations and drive the development of future safety and permitting requirements relying more on the experts’ know-how (e.g., the Italian National Fire body supported by the Italian certification body, Rina, to move towards a fire safety regulation for Hydrogen production plants are more flexible and ensure civil and environmental safety);
- The use of hydrogen in common demonstration events that simulate everyday life activities is an effective way to raise awareness and build trust among citizens (e.g., a pizza oven fuelled with hydrogen showcased during a public event organized by the Cefmof Foundation);
- Build the future hydrogen economy on what exists now in terms of infrastructures and regulatory framework to avoid rushing the process excessively and to prevent misjudgements that could lead to delays. Haste makes waste.
This international workshop will feed the progress of the project. Together with the planned local workshops, it will support the preparation of technical requirements guidelines, supporting stakeholders through the safety and general permitting of hydrogen technologies. The next workshops involving institutional stakeholders will be held in Belgium on the 24th of January, Bulgaria on the 27th of January, Spain on the 6th of February, and Poland and Italy events will be held in the spring of 2025. Further information on the workshops will be available through the project’s website.
Presentation Session (November 20th, 2024):
On the 20th of November, HYPOP took part in the EU Project Pavillon presentation session, where project Coordinator Dr. Ilaria Schiavi delivered an in-depth overview of the project’s progress. This session focused on the project’s missions, objectives, results achieved, and future activities. It provided a valuable opportunity for the hydrogen community to learn more about HYPOP’s contributions to the social acceptability of Europe’s hydrogen economy. To this end, the HYPOP Project will work more on the hydrogen public acceptance, through engagement workshops involving citizens. So far, the next dates are planned for early February 2025 with a first citizens engagement workshop in Italy (first week of February), then in Bulgaria on the 17th of February.
Collaborations and Synergies:
The project is fostering partnerships across the EU and beyond, aiming to showcase success stories and case studies in the hydrogen ecosystem. HYPOP has highlighted its collaborative approach with other EU-funded projects, industrial players, and research institutions to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen technologies. To join HYPOP Project in its public engagement journey, reach out to the “Join Our Community” section.
Dr. Ilaria Schiavi, HYPOP Project Coordinator, commented:
“Participating in the European Hydrogen Week was an important milestone for the HYPOP project. It allowed us to both showcase our progress and engage with the broader hydrogen community. HYPOP’s mission is to raise the acceptability of hydrogen as a clean energy source, and events like these support the exchange of experiences and the awareness raising, which contribute to the achievement of our objectives.”
For more information on HYPOP and to stay updated on its activities, please visit our website (www.hypop-project.eu) or get in touch by sending an email to our project coordinator Ilaria Schiavi, ilaria.schiavi[at]envipark.com.
