aboutus
Current Status
Current Status
Current Status
Target
Target
Target
>25,000
Prototype Test.
6,500
>25,000
Prototype Test.
35 Act. - 39 Dev.
6,500
6,500
Prototype Test.
35 Act. - 39 Dev.
6,500
6,500
35 Act. - 39 Dev.
6,500
>25,000
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--
--
1,000,000
1,000,000
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--
--
1,000,000
1,000,000
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--
--
1,000,000
1,000,000
2,000 by 2020
European commission
Updated July 2021
FC Trucks
FC Bus
FC Forklifts
FC Cars
Refueling Station
Electrolyzer
Stationary FC
Current Status
31
335
106
988
159
3.8 MW
Target by 2025
by 2030
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--
--
--
--
53.8 MW
2964
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Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmaps
Hydrogen Roadmap Europe (January 2019)
A Hydrogen Strategy for a Climate-Neutral Europe (08 June 2020)
Latest Steering Committee Meeting Presentation
35th SC Meeting File (June 2021)
Initiatives, Programs, and Policies
June 2021
The European Commission’s proposal for the Clean Hydrogen Partnership is still under discussion by the European Council and the European Parliament, and should be adopted by fall 2021. The European Commission, emphasizing the importance of hydrogen in the medium to long term, in order to achieve its ambitious goal of climate neutrality by 2050, proposes to fund the Partnership with €1 billion for the period 2021-2027, complemented by an at least equivalent amount of investment from the private sector members of the partnership, raising the total funding to above €2 billion.
As a sign of the growing interest in hydrogen, six other sectoral partnerships will also support hydrogen technologies, namely road transport, train, maritime, aviation, clean steel and clean process industries which now consider hydrogen as a key tool to achieve their climate objectives.
The ‘fit for 55’ Climate and Energy Package
To achieve the EU’s increased 2030 climate ambition, all economic sectors and policies will need to make their contribution. The ‘fit for 55’ climate and energy package is a comprehensive step in overhauling the climate and energy policy framework to align it to the EU climate ambition. It includes the following policy initiatives.
Revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II)
The main objective is to increase the EU’s renewables target from the current 32% to 38 - 40%, in line with the 2030 Climate Target Plan. The proposal could lay down measures to increase the share of renewables in all sectors of the economy (heating and cooling, transports, but also industry) and strengthen the sustainability criteria for biomass use. It could include the introduction of an EU wide certification system for renewable and lowcarbon fuels. The proposal would also aim at giving a strong push for electrification.
Revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)
It aims to increase the current energy efficiency target of 32.5% to 36-37% for 2030. The proposal could include measures driving energy efficiency in all key sectors of the economy through mandatory energy savings obligation. It could contribute to addressing energy poverty and help accelerate the renovation rate for public buildings.
Revision of the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Directive (AFID)
The aim of this revision is to ensure that sufficient interoperable recharging and refuelling infrastructure will be in place throughout the EU and ensure that infrastructure investments indeed go hand-in-hand with the required vehicle uptake to reach the ambitious emission targets, first by 2030 and then towards 2050.
The proposal will include more binding targets for infrastructure rollout, including for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure along the TEN-T core network and urban nodes in support of the ambition set by the Green Deal and Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, namely to have at least 1,000 hydrogen stations by 2030 and half of them by 2025. It will also mandate technical specifications for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, where still needed (for example liquid hydrogen refuelling), following the adoption of related standards by the European Standardisation Organisation.
TEN-T Regulation
he overarching goal of the revision of the TEN-T regulation is to contribute to the European Green Deal objectives and the realisation of the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (SSMS). In the context of alternative fuels, the revised TEN-T regulation will make a close link with the revised Directives on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and on intelligent transport systems by including specific standards into the TEN-T. The process of adoption of the legislative proposal revising the TEN-T regulation will be launched after the summer break in view of adoption in October/November.
FuelEU Maritime
As part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, the Commission is planning to make a legislative proposal to increase the deployment and use of renewable low-carbon fuels in the maritime sector. Following public consultations, there was an overwhelming preference for a goal-based approach compared to more prescriptive mandates on certain technologies. We are therefore considering expressing our targets in terms of greenhouse gas intensity of the energy used on board (GHG per MJ). An additional limit will be set for the most polluting ships at berth (i.e., cruise ships, containerships, and roll-on passenger ferries).
ReFuelEU Aviation
In the coming weeks, the Commission is expected to adopt a legislative proposal to boost significantly the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and maintain a level playing field among market players in the EU aviation internal market. SAF means advanced biofuels and synthetic fuels. Synthetic fuels would be subject to a specific sub-mandate, a priori starting in 2030. Hydrogen is a key “ingredient” to produce synthetic fuels, and therefore the aviation sector will rely on hydrogen already in the short term.
December 2020
The Commission adopted on 8 July 2020 a number of high-profile policy initiatives to put Europe in a leading position to achieve real deployment and application of clean hydrogen and fuel cell technologies over the next decade. These initiatives are:
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The Industrial Clean Hydrogen Alliance proposed in the EU new Industrial Strategy, as well as potential Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on hydrogen;
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The Communication “Powering a climate-neutral economy: An EU Strategy for Energy System Integration” in which hydrogen plays an important role, and;
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A hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe. This strategy covers all dimensions of hydrogen, in particular energy, climate, the associated investment challenges and the international dimension. It also includes a specific section on promoting research and innovation in hydrogen technologies.
On 9 September 2020 the European Commission released the 2030 Climate Target Plan, presenting a renewed climate ambition with an EU-wide, economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2030 compared to 1990 of at least 55% including emissions and removals. All transport sectors - road, rail, aviation and waterborne transport - will have to contribute to the 55% reduction effort. A smart combination of vehicle/vessels/aircraft efficiency improvements, fuel mix changes, greater use of sustainable transport modes and multi-modal solutions, digitalisation for smart traffic and mobility management, road pricing and other incentives can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time significantly address noise pollution and improve air quality.
June 2020
Hydrogen plays a central role in achieving the main objective of the European Green Deal and is one of the key sectors contributing to the European Economic Recovery Plan. In this context, important initiatives and activities are taking place in the EU such as:
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The proposed Clean Hydrogen Partnership under Horizon Europe. There has been an inter-institutional agreement on the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe. A partnership in the area of hydrogen and fuel cells named ‘Clean Hydrogen’ is included in the list of potential initiatives proposed by the European Commission. The impact assessment study is still in progress.
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The New Industrial Strategy for Europe (adopted on 10 March) with the proposal to launch a European Clean Hydrogen Alliance + the following launch of potential Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on hydrogen. IPCEI is a new instrument to access public funding that is compatible with EU state aid rules.
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The ongoing work on communication on Energy Systems Integration. Hydrogen is prominent in Energy System Integration – the coordinated planning and operation of the energy system “as a whole,” across multiple energy carriers, infrastructures, and consumption sectors – and will play a pivotal role in the pathway to an effective, affordable and deep decarbonisation of the European economy.
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The preparation of communication on a European Hydrogen Strategy. This strategy encompasses all dimensions of hydrogen’s potential and policies, in particular R&I, energy, climate, industry and environmental policies and will also address the investment challenge
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The latter three initiatives will be part on a comprehensive policy package to be adopted beginning of July 2020.
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Finally, the adoption on 27 May of the Communication on "Europe's moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation", which highlights in particular the important role of hydrogen in the EU economic recovery plan. The Commission will focus on unlocking investment in clean technologies and value chains. The €750bn economic recovery package is focused around the European Green Deal, and highlights “the rolling out renewable energy projects, especially wind, solar and kick-starting a clean hydrogen economy in Europe”. The new Strategic Investment Facility will invest in technologies that are key for the clean energy transition, such as renewable and energy storage technologies, clean hydrogen, batteries, carbon capture and storage and sustainable energy infrastructure.
Research and Development
June 2021
Successful test operation of the world's largest high-temperature electrolysis module
unfire, global leader in solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) technology, achieves a major milestone in the development of its second generation innovative high-temperature electrolysers. The company successfully operated and tested a 225 kW (0.225 MW) electrolysis module, which is setting the base for the planned distribution of a multi-megawatt electrolyser to Neste's refinery in Rotterdam in the scope of the EU-funded MultiPLHY project.
PECSYS – demonstrating the solar driven hydrogen production in a large photoelectrochemical system
ECSYS project developed a considerable number of innovative solutions for hydrogen generation by exploring different combinations of photovoltaic PV (photovoltaic) materials and electrolysers. The winning technology consists of full-sized silicon heterojunction modules and CuInGaSe modules directly connected to detached PEM electrolysers without power electronics. Such a system, with a solar collection area of 10.5 m², was successfully tested in the real environment in Jülich (GER) for 9 months. Based on the results achieved by the demonstration system, the final technology readiness level (TRL) of the PECSYS technology is estimated as 6 (on a scale from 1 to 9). Further development is needed to increase the efficiency and long-term durability, in particular of the thermally integrated systems.
COSMHYC project. Bringing hydrogen compression from concept to reality
A four-year FCH JU-funded project (2017-2020), COSMHYC (Compression of Hydrogen at refuelling Stations) developed an innovative hybrid compression solution focusing in particular on improving performance, lowering costs, and reducing the noise level produced by the mechanical processor. Impact of COSMHYC project:
• Development of prototypes for the metal hybrid (MH) and the mechanical compressors.
• Increase energy efficiency while optimising the temperature of operation for the MH (<150 degrees)
• Reduced noise levels related to the mechanical processor. The noise levels at a 5 m distance recorded 53,4 – 69,9 dB
• Decreased investments and operational costs.
GAIA - Next Generation Automotive Membrane Electrode Assemblies
GAIA has the overall aim of developing high performance automotive membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) that integrate new materials and designs to reach the cost target and providing high power density at high current density. Despite the setback imposed by the current health and safety measures, the project has successfully achieved its mid-term goals in June 2020:
• 10-cells short stack reached the power-density target of 1.5W/cm3 at 0.6V under EU reference conditions
• mass activity of 0.89 A/mgPt in a MEA with reduced cathode loading of 0.1 mgPt/cm2
• membrane durability increased over 2 700 hours of drive cycle testing with a low voltage decay rate of 6 µV/hour
To achieve the final objectives, further developments and testing will include a new ionomer, membrane, catalyst compositions and designs, new catalyst layer constructions, tailored gas diffusion and microporous layers.
December 2020
The 2020 Call for Proposals of the FCH JU was successfully launched and closed on 29 April 2020 with a budget of €93Mil. A total of 71 proposals were submitted in response to this call, according to the following breakdown:
- Transport – total 23 proposals
- Energy – total 22 proposals
- Overarching – total 13 proposals
- Cross-cutting – total 13 proposals
The FCH JU coordinators day for new projects was held in FCH JU premises on the 10th of September and introduced the successful project consortia to the grant agreement preparation phase.
The number of proposals that will be funded depends on the available budget and the formal approval of grant agreements by the FCH 2 Joint Undertaking. It is expected that most grant agreements will be signed by December 2020.
June 2020
Hydrogen plays a central role in achieving the main objective of the European Green Deal and is one of the key sectors contributing to the European Economic Recovery Plan. In this context, important initiatives and activities are taking place in the EU such as:
- The proposed Clean Hydrogen Partnership under Horizon Europe. There has been an inter-institutional agreement on the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe. A partnership in the area of hydrogen and fuel cells named ‘Clean Hydrogen’ is included in the list of potential initiatives proposed by the European Commission. The impact assessment study is still in progress.
- The New Industrial Strategy for Europe (adopted on 10 March) with the proposal to launch a European Clean Hydrogen Alliance + the following launch of potential Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on hydrogen. IPCEI is a new instrument to access public funding that is compatible with EU state aid rules.
- The ongoing work on communication on Energy Systems Integration. Hydrogen is prominent in Energy System Integration – the coordinated planning and operation of the energy system “as a whole,” across multiple energy carriers, infrastructures, and consumption sectors – and will play a pivotal role in the pathway to an effective, affordable and deep decarbonisation of the European economy.
- The preparation of communication on a European Hydrogen Strategy. This strategy encompasses all dimensions of hydrogen’s potential and policies, in particular R&I, energy, climate, industry and environmental policies and will also address the investment challenge
- The latter three initiatives will be part on a comprehensive policy package to be adopted beginning of July 2020.
- Finally, the adoption on 27 May of the Communication on "Europe's moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation", which highlights in particular the important role of hydrogen in the EU economic recovery plan. The Commission will focus on unlocking investment in clean technologies and value chains. The €750bn economic recovery package is focused around the European Green Deal, and highlights “the rolling out renewable energy projects, especially wind, solar and kick-starting a clean hydrogen economy in Europe”. The new Strategic Investment Facility will invest in technologies that are key for the clean energy transition, such as renewable and energy storage technologies, clean hydrogen, batteries, carbon capture and storage and sustainable energy infrastructure.
Demonstration, Deployments, and Workforce Developments
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To date, 1907[1] FCEVs have been contracted through FCH JU, out of which 959 are currently deployed and 674 planned or in development phase (mainly via H2ME, H2ME2 projects and ZEFER project).
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114 FC buses have been deployed until today through FCH JU and 244 are planned or in development phase. A total of 300 buses have been deployed or planned to be deployed through the JIVE and JIVE 2 projects (including all buses currently under development). -
139 HRS are deployed in Europe, out of which 68 deployed via FCH JU (mainly via H2ME and H2ME2 projects). A chart displaying key data on the number and type of hydrogen refuelling stations deployed in Europe, including location and capacity can be found here or here. -
4003 µCHPs contracted via FCH JU, out of which 2372 already deployed (mainly via PACE and EneField projects – around 95% of total FCH JU μCHPs).
Publications
PROGRAMME REVIEW REPORT 2019
The 2019 Programme Review Report presents the findings of a review into activities supported by the FCH 2 JU under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme and Horizon 2020 by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). It pays particular attention to the added value, effectiveness and techno-economic efficiency of FCH 2 JU projects, assigned to six review panels under two main pillars
- Transport and Energy:
- TRANSPORT: a) trials and deployment of fuel cell applications and b)the next generation of products;
- ENERGY: a) trials and deployment of fuel cell applications, b) next generation of products and c) hydrogen for sectoral integration
- Support for market uptake (cross-cutting activities such as standards and consumer awareness)
This report covers all 81 projects that were ongoing for any time between April and October 2018 and assesses the strengths and accomplishments of each panel and areas that would benefit from further attention.
2020 SUCCESS STORIES
The 2020 edition of the FCH JU Success Stories highlights the impact of FCH JU projects and how the FCH JU is making fuel cells and hydrogen an everyday reality in Europe. From hydrogen-powered cars and heavy-duty trucks to maritime applications, from tackling the barriers limiting the potential of electrolysers to greening the steel industry, our projects are helping to make an impact on the clean energy transition.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES CONSIDERING THE NATIONAL ENERGY & CLIMATE PLANS
The study analyses the role of hydrogen in the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and identifies and highlights opportunities for hydrogen technologies to contribute to effective and efficient achievement of the 2030 climate and energy targets of the EU and its Member States. It focuses on the potential and opportunities of renewable hydrogen, produced by electrolysers using renewable electricity and of low-carbon hydrogen, produced by steam methane reforming combined with CCS. The opportunities for and impacts of hydrogen deployment are assessed and summarised in individual fiches per Member State. Moreover, it analyses to what extent policy measures and industrial initiatives are already being taken to facilitate large-scale implementation of hydrogen in the current and the next decades.
HYDROGEN-POWERED AVIATION
June 2020
- Ca. 2458[1] FCEVs (including range extenders, i.e. Symbio) deployed in Europe, out of which 839[2] through the FCH 2 JU (mainly via H2ME, H2ME2 projects and ZEFER project).
- Ca. 81 FC buses in operation, of which 59[3] through FCH JU and more than 300 (via FCH 2 JU mainly through JIVE and JIVE 2 projects) in planning/development stage.
- Ca. 195 HRS in operation, out of which 63 deployed via FCH 2 JU (mainly via H2ME and H2ME2 projects. From those, 127 HRS are publically available or by prior arrangements for refuelling of passenger cars and other light duty vehicles[4].
- 4003 µCHPs contracted via FCH 2 JU, out of which ca. 2054 deployed (mainly via PACE and EneField projects).
[1] Latest status 22/01/2020, including non-commercial vehicles
[2] Including non-commercial vehicles and 16 discontinued cars
[3] Including 13 discontinued buses
[4] Excluding MHVs, trucks and buses
Events and Solicitations
June 2021
European Hydrogen Week (29/11/2021)
To match the unprecedented interest in hydrogen technologies, FCH JU will dedicate an entire week of events - from 29 November to 3 December 2021 - to the essential role of hydrogen in meeting the 2050 climate neutrality goal of the European Green Deal and boosting the economic recovery.
The series of events taking place during the week include the European Hydrogen Forum, the meeting of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance, the FCH JU Programme Review Days and the FCH JU Awards (now at the fourth edition). The European Hydrogen Forum, which takes place on 29 November, will mark the launch of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership – as the successor of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Undertaking.
The event will bring together key policy-makers, industry representatives, civil society organisations and the research community to discuss the breakthroughs and opportunities of green hydrogen technologies in achieving climate neutrality while creating jobs and growth. We expect more than 5,000 participants online - from Europe and beyond.
Zero Emission Bus Conference 2021 (17/11/2021)
The Paris Zero Emission Bus Conference follows the successful 2nd edition held in Cologne, Germany, in November 2018. Over 360 global stakeholders representing 220 organisations attended the event. Expert speakers debated routes to commercialisation and discussed technological readiness of the two zero emission options: battery and fuel cell buses. ZEB 2021 will call on European manufacturers, policy makers and operators to scale up their zero emission ambitions to become global leaders in.
The 4th International Workshop On Degradation Issues of Fuel Cells and Electrolysers (30/09/2021)
The 4th edition of the International Workshop on Degradation Issues of Fuel Cells and Electrolysers will take place this year from 30 September to 02 October in Corfu, Greece. Co-organised by FORTH/ICEHT, the University of Birmingham (UoB) and the Horizon 2020, FCH JU funded project - NewSOC, the event will cover different subjects: Durability requirements in Fuel Cell and Electrolyser applications Mechanisms limiting Fuel Cell or Electrolyser Durability.
International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (21/09/2021)
The ninth edition of the biennial International Conference on Hydrogen Safety (ICHS2021) will be taking place in Edinburgh on 21st to 23rd September 2021. Organised by the Scottish Government and HySafe, the event will focus on the overarching theme of ‘Safe Hydrogen for Net Zero’. The conference will present the state-of-the-art, new developments, regulatory and normative aspects and practical implications with regard to hydrogen safety.
f-cell 2021 Energizing Hydrogen Business (14/09/2021)
The annual event for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell experts provides an extensive overview of relevant international markets and industries as well as technological advancements. The interactive format offers an ideal platform for experts and newcomers alike to connect, discuss and set up sustainable business relationships. f-cell 2021 consists of a conference with interactive sessions and trade fair.
2nd International Hydrogen Aviation Conference (IHAC 2021) (2/9/2021)
The 2nd International Hydrogen Aviation Conference (IHAC 2021) will be held at Glasgow, Scotland on Thursday, 2nd September 2021. The 2nd International Hydrogen Aviation Conference (IHAC 2021) will focus on the use of hydrogen in aviation, the associated benefits, and emerging challenges.
European Fuel Cell Forum 2021 (29/6/2021)
The EFCF 2021, taking place from 29 June to 2 July, addresses issues of low-temperature Fuel Cells and electrolysers including CO2 reduction. These technologies are also strongly linked to hydrogen and its processing. The conference topics will range from fundamental understanding of the relevant materials as well as of the kinetics and mass/heat/water transport processes, H2 purification, compression, storage and distribution, all the way to the implementation in real-world devices.
The FCHgo International Award event (15/6/2021)
The winners of the FCHgo International Award will be announced during an online ceremony on 15 June from 15:00 to 17:00. FCHgo is a European project funded by FCH JU, dedicated to fostering knowledge about fuel cell and hydrogen technology by delivering an educational model for schools. The project application phase for the FCHgo Award competition has closed, but the international selection of candidate projects is in progress.
Solicitations / Procurements
The FCH 2 JU published a call for tenders on 06/05/2021 for a Study on Hydrogen in Ports and Industrial Coastal Areas. Deadline to express interest is on 14 June 2021.
The online Mission Innovation Hydrogen Valley Platform went live in January 2021, with 32 Valleys spread around the world. This was further enlarged with a new batch of four projects in June 2021. The final report of this procurement was published and announced during the launch of the Clean Hydrogen Mission within the Mission Innovation 2.0, together with the intention to further develop the platform with a new procurement to be launched soon, aiming at having it operational as of end-2021 and until 2023. The Report on Hydrogen Valleys provides insights into the emerging hydrogen economies around the world, with its findings being based on data gathered through this global information sharing platform set up by the FCH JU under the Innovation Challenge 8 'Renewable and Clean Hydrogen' of Mission Innovation and funded by the European Commission.
December 2020
EUROPEAN HYDROGEN WEEK
The European Hydrogen week took place from 23 to 27 November 2020 and comprised of three different events:
1. The FCH JU Programme Review Days (PRD), 23-24 November 2020
The two-days event kick-started the whole week and, following the tradition of the past 10 years, provided an excellent visibility platform for more than 100 projects currently on-going under FCH JU. Projects presented their progress, obtained feedback and exchanged ideas on technological developments in the sectors. The event closed with the FCH JU Awards 2020, naming the winners of FCH JU’s cutting-edge projects in the categories Best Outreach, Best Success Story, Best Innovation.
2. PrioritHy: How hydrogen can bring recovery, growth and jobs for Europe, 25 November 2020
This event focused on best-practice regional approaches to build up a hydrogen economy and to ensure the overall transition to a climate neutral Europe. The event was jointly organised by the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) and Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), and with the support of the European Commission and the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
3. The European Hydrogen Forum, 26-27 November 2020
A high-level conference featuring keynote speeches by a number of Commissioner’s,
including the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans, many panel discussions, battlefield talks and virtual cocktails for participants under the theme Kick-starting the EU hydrogen industry to achieve the EU climate goals. In addition, market opportunities of hydrogen technologies in its entire value chain were explored in six roundtables headed by CEOs of world-leading companies. The event was jointly organised by the European Commission (DG GROW) and the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
Launching of the FCH Observatory
On 15 September 2020, the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Observatory (FCHO) online launch event took place with around 1000 participants from European and national institutions, industry and associations from around the world. The FCHO provides data and up to date information about the entire hydrogen sector. It focuses on technology and market statistics, socio-economic indicators, policy and regulation, as well as financial support.
Webinar: Moving Electrolysers into the Gigawatt Scale
On 6 October 2020 FCH JU organised a webinar together with the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT) on the challenge of moving the electrolysers technology to a GW scale in the next decade. The speakers looked at how the EU Hydrogen Strategy published in July 2020 and the German Hydrogen Strategy can promote the massive scale up in electrolyser capacity in Europe, while collaborating at a global scale with main partners such Australia and US to provide the necessary clean hydrogen by 2030 and decarbonise our economies. The second part of the webinar shared preliminary results of the Hydrohub Innovation Program which has been working on a baseline (2020 level) design of a GW electrolyser plant for green hydrogen and corresponding cost analysis and explored which challenges still lie ahead to bring green hydrogen to the front of the merit order.
Launch of the Hydrogen Territories Platform
The new Hydrogen Territories Platform (HTP) (http://h2territory.eu/) was launched on 23 September 2020. The HTP will help to identify local replication opportunities for the development, deployment, and exploitation of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for integrated local energy systems. It was developed within the BIG HIT project, aiming to support replication of the local energy systems model. The HTP will provide information and modelling tools to support the wider development and replication of this model to other islands and isolated territories.
Clean hydrogen mobility for regions
This workshop held on 21 October 2020 was dedicated to regions and cities interested in clean hydrogen mobility solutions to tackle climate change and air pollution. The FCH JU provided information to support technology adoption & financing; regions and manufacturers presented their plans and projects and brought evidence of the suitability of hydrogen solutions for public transport fleets. Finally, there was a discussion on why and how to invest in this zero-emissions technology, best practices, and next steps of deployment.
Procurements
The FCH 2 JU published a Call for Tenders on 17/09/2020 on the Operation and Maintenance of the European HRS Availability System (E-HRS-AS). Deadline to express interest was beginning of November 2020.
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June 2020
Publications
Life Cycle Assessment of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies
The report provides an overview of the progress achieved so far and a comprehensive analysis on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for various hydrogen technologies and processes. The review considers 73 FCH 2 JU funded projects. The LCAs have been assessed regarding the adherence to guideline recommendations, methodology and overall quality of the work. Based on the outcome of this analysis, a harmonisation effort in the approach to LCA for the FCH JU funded projects is proposed. In particular, a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) database useful for the projects is required together with the identification of a reference case to be used as benchmark for future LCAs.
Keyword Analysis and Project Classification of FCH 2 JU Projects
This report assesses keywords to determine relationships between funding and the different activities of the Joint Undertaking, for example, to visualise trends in the funding for particular technologies or applications. As a pre-cursor to a wider historical analysis of the impact of the FCH 2 JU, a structured classification of projects according to keywords is performed, leading to the creation of a hierarchical database.
The potential role of H2 production in a sustainable future power system
In this report, the operation of a future highly decarbonised (95% CO2 emissions reduction vs 1990) power system, as defined with JRC-EU-TIMES (a partial equilibrium energy system model) in 2050, is analysed with METIS, the mathematical model providing analysis of the European energy system for electricity, gas and heat.
Current Status of Chemical Energy Storage Technologies
The aim of this report is to give an overview of the contribution of EU funding, specifically through Horizon 2020 (H2020), to the research, development and deployment of chemical energy storage technologies (CEST). In the context of this report, CEST is defined as energy storage through the conversion of electricity to hydrogen or other chemicals and synthetic fuels. The report maps research activities on CESTs at the European level. In addition, projects funded at national and international level, occurring within the same timeframe, have been considered.
Global Energy and Climate Outlook 2019: Electrification for the low-carbon transition
This edition of the Global Energy and Climate Outlook (GECO) analyses the role of electrification in global transition pathways to a low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions economy. The role of electricity is examined by large sector (industry, transport, buildings, power generation), with a particular regional focus on the EU and China and a sectoral focus on road transport electrification. Hydrogen fuel cells are accounted in the report.
Events & Initiatives
EU Energy day at COP25
The EU energy day took place on 10 December 2019 under the topic: "Transforming the energy system for a climate neutral economy: the EU example. Within the event, the session “Accelerating innovation for the European Green Deal” presented a number of key technologies and innovations funded by different EU R&I support instruments and included inputs from the FCH 2 JU funded project H2FUTURE.
The European Green Deal
The European Commission presented the European Green Deal on 11 December 2019, outlining the main policy initiatives for reaching net-zero global warming emissions by 2050. “Climate-neutral” Europe: this is the overarching objective of the European Green Deal. To this purpose, a plan for “smart sector integration”, bringing together the electricity, gas and heating sectors closer together “in one system”, is foreseen in 2020. Hydrogen is mentioned as a key instrument for meeting the Green Deal objectives.
Hydrogen for Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI)
A conference/info-session on Hydrogen for Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) took place in Brussels on 15 January 2020. The conference aimed to: (i) inform participants about the concept of Important Projects of Common European Interest; (ii) present a number of major large-scale Hydrogen projects as examples; and (iii) facilitate extensive matchmaking between participants in order to find the required industrial partners for the implementation of existing and new projects.
Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum and Official launch of the EU City Facility
The Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum – Energy Efficiency Finance Market Place is the biggest event of its kind in Europe, showcasing successful projects on financing climate adaptation, energy efficiency, clean mobility and innovative energy planning, as well as initiatives working across Europe to facilitate the market for climate and sustainable energy finance. The event was organised on 18-19 February 2020 by the European Commission's Directorates-General for Energy and Climate Action and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) in collaboration with the Covenant of Mayors. The FCH JU joined the event with a session on Hydrogen mobility solutions for buses, garbage trucks and taxi fleet.
FCHgo Award: "World of the future: the best FCH application"
The international FCHgo Award challenges pupils to imagine innovative applications of FCH technology that will transform our daily-lives in the future. The theme of the contest is ‘World of the future: the best FCH application’. The competition was launched on 26 February 2020 by FCHgo project, a project funded by the FCH 2 JU. The goal of FCHgo project is to strengthen public acceptance and awareness of fuel cell hydrogen technologies (FCH-Ts) by educating pupils of all education levels, from primary to secondary school. The project was launched in January 2019 and will be carried out until the end of 2020.
Hydrogen fuel cell trucks. Paving the road to a carbon-neutral Europe
The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks Event was held on 5 March 2020 and brought together leading experts from the truck industry, EU decision makers, end-users and infrastructure providers to discuss how to accelerate the mass-market deployment of hydrogen fuel cell trucks and their infrastructure.
Launch of the Hydrogen Valley Platform
The Hydrogen Valley Platform, launched on 21 April 2020, is a Global Information Sharing Platform, developed by the FCH 2 JU to support the Mission Innovation IC8 Member States. Its objective is to promote the emergence and implementation of hydrogen flagship projects (“hydrogen valleys”) and raise awareness among policy makers, thus advancing the clean energy transition. The platform will offer up to date information regarding existing hydrogen valley projects, while providing various support tools for project development, implementation, and facilitating interaction.
A 2×40 GW Initiative - Green Hydrogen for a European Green Deal
The European industry association Hydrogen Europe announced on 27 April 2020 the 2x40 GW Initiative. The objective is to promote a massive increase of electrolyser production within the EU in order to support green hydrogen production. The initiative proposes install 40 GW electrolyser capacity in the countries of the European Union as well as 40 GW electrolyser capacity in neighbouring countries, especially in North Africa and Ukraine up to the year 2030.
HYTUNNEL-CS Stakeholders’ workshop
The consortium of the FCH 2 JU project HYTUNNEL-CS organised an online Stakeholders' Workshop on 4-5 May 2020. Tunnel authorities, managers and designers, as well as tunnel operations and safety officers participated along with developers of hydrogen-powered vehicles and hydrogen delivery transport developers and manufacturers.
THYGA online workshop
The consortium of the FCH 2 JU project THYGA organised an online workshop on 6 May 2020. The workshop presented first research results and discussed the specific consequences of hydrogen blending for the gas appliances sector, with the participation of researchers, manufacturers and associations.
FCH JU’S Project Development Assistance (PDA) initiative
Following a highly competitive public call for applications, launched by the FCH JU early 2020, 11 European regions were selected (out of 35) to benefit from direct assistance for
developing high quality, integrated hydrogen projects. The piece of news was released on 18 May 2020 and a first meeting with these regions is planned to take place in the beginning of June. The wide geographic spread and the diverse portfolio of the end-use applications in the regions selected can create a great blueprint for the other regions. These will be included in the PDA Observers’ Network and will be able to benefit from the shared knowledge and expertise.
Procurements
The FCH 2 JU is supporting the development of the ‘European fuel cells and hydrogen market and policy observatory’ to act as a reference point for information about fuel cells and hydrogen technologies and applications in Europe. The call for tenders was published on 9 August 2018 and the first release of the observatory is expected to become live in Q3 2020.
The FCH 2 JU published a call for tenders on 26 March 2019 to carry out a study on Opportunities arising from the inclusion of Hydrogen Energy Technologies in the National Energy & Climate Plans. The final report is expected to be released in Q2 2020.
The FCH 2 JU published a call for tenders to undertake a Study on use of fuel cell hydrogen in aviation, a joint study between the FCH 2 JU and Clean Sky 2 JU on the potential of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies in the field of aircraft propulsion. The final report is expected to be released in Q2 2020.
The FCH 2 JU published a call for tenders on 13 November 2020 to support a Study on European Business cases for FCH trucks and technology development roadmap. The kick off meeting was held and a final report is expected to be released in Q4 2020.
The FCH 2 JU is supporting the Project Development Assistance (PDA) for European Regions study to provide support for at least ten regions or cities to develop detailed work plans for the implementation of hydrogen projects, including at least two projects from EU13 member states. The call for tenders was published on 14 May 2019. On April 2020, 11 European regions were selected to benefit from direct assistance. The Kick-Off meeting is expected to take place beginning of June 2020.
The FCH 2 JU published a call for tenders on 14 April 2020 to carry out a Study on Accelerating the Deployment of Guarantees of Origin Schemes for Hydrogen and for the Design of a Voluntary Scheme for Compliance with REDII Targets. Deadline to express interest is the end of June 2020.
Investments and Funding
The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance (ECH2A) will build up a clear pipeline of viable investment projects, provide a broad forum to coordinate investment by all stakeholders and engage civil society, and facilitate cooperation in a range of large investment projects, including IPCEI projects. It will be supported by the Strategic Investment Facility under InvestEU and the ETS Innovation Fund.
The EU’s recovery plan Next Generation EU, will provide for funding opportunities, especially via InvestEU, the new Recovery and Resilience Facility, the increase in Cohesion funding via REACT-EU, and the Just Transition Mechanism.
Regulations, Codes & Standards, and Safety
June 2021
The Regulations, Codes & Standards Strategy Coordination (RCS SC) Group of the FCH 2 JU coordinates the strategy on RCS within the FCH 2 JU, with a focus on the identification of strategic themes for RCS development and their proposed follow-up.
With regard to standardisation, the only progress is on the WG1 of the CEN/CENELEC JT6 on the Hydrogen in energy systems - vocabulary, with a draft prEN ISO 24078
. The European Hydrogen Safety Panel (EHSP) continues its work on increasing the number of the safety data and events contained in the European Hydrogen Safety Reference Database (HIAD 2.0), currently above 550 events, and a new public report is being prepared with the summary of the findings, lessons learnt and recommendations stemmed from the assessment performed.
On public outreach, a revamped website is being prepared which will include a set of "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" about hydrogen safety.
December 2020
The activities of the Regulations, Codes & Standards Strategy Coordination (RCS SC) Group of the FCH 2 JU focused on the coordination of identified RCS needs and gaps towards appropriate standardisation platforms (such as Technical Committees and the Sector Fora) and regulatory bodies.
The European Hydrogen Safety Panel (EHSP) activities during this period are ongoing in the four task forces. At the project and programme level, the EHSP has started to assess several key safety-related aspects in all FCHJU funded projects and has organised a workshop on safety of electrolysis with 15 FCHJU projects involving electrolysis technology. The outcome of the workshop will be a public summary report alongside the presentations, provided publication is finally granted.
Moreover, the EHSP continues its work on increasing the number of the safety data and events contained in the European Hydrogen Safety Reference Database (HIAD 2.0), currently above 500 events, and a new public report is being prepared with the summary of the findings, lessons learnt and recommendations stemmed from the assessment performed.
On public outreach, a revamped website is being prepared which will include a set of "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" about hydrogen safety.
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June 2020
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The activities of the Regulations, Codes & Standards Strategy Coordination (RCS SC) Group of the FCH 2 JU were focused on updating the annual work plan of the group as well as the coordination of identified RCS needs and gaps towards appropriate standardisation platforms (such as Technical Committees and the Sector Fora) and regulatory bodies.
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The European Hydrogen Safety Panel (EHSP) activities for 2020 were kicked-off and activities are ongoing in the four task forces. As a result, a safety-related checklist was developed for the FCH 2 JU programme office as a tool to improve the hydrogen safety management at a programme level. Besides, the EHSP is updating the assessment of the safety data and events contained in the European Hydrogen Safety Reference Database (HIAD 2.0) performed in 2019.
Data
Websites
International Cooperation
Cordis FP6 Service
Energy Research Europa
Energy Research/Technology Platform
CIRCAB (to download presentations and documents)
European Hydrogen Association
Reports & Publications
Decemnber 2020
PROGRAMME REVIEW REPORT 2019
The 2019 Programme Review Report presents the findings of a review into activities supported by the FCH 2 JU under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme and Horizon 2020 by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). It pays particular attention to the added value, effectiveness and techno-economic efficiency of FCH 2 JU projects, assigned to six review panels under two main pillars
- Transport and Energy:
- TRANSPORT: a) trials and deployment of fuel cell applications and b)the next generation of products;
- ENERGY: a) trials and deployment of fuel cell applications, b) next generation of products and c) hydrogen for sectoral integration
- Support for market uptake (cross-cutting activities such as standards and consumer awareness)
This report covers all 81 projects that were ongoing for any time between April and October 2018 and assesses the strengths and accomplishments of each panel and areas that would benefit from further attention.
2020 SUCCESS STORIES
The 2020 edition of the FCH JU Success Stories highlights the impact of FCH JU projects and how the FCH JU is making fuel cells and hydrogen an everyday reality in Europe. From hydrogen-powered cars and heavy-duty trucks to maritime applications, from tackling the barriers limiting the potential of electrolysers to greening the steel industry, our projects are helping to make an impact on the clean energy transition.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES CONSIDERING THE NATIONAL ENERGY & CLIMATE PLANS
The study analyses the role of hydrogen in the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and identifies and highlights opportunities for hydrogen technologies to contribute to effective and efficient achievement of the 2030 climate and energy targets of the EU and its Member States. It focuses on the potential and opportunities of renewable hydrogen, produced by electrolysers using renewable electricity and of low-carbon hydrogen, produced by steam methane reforming combined with CCS. The opportunities for and impacts of hydrogen deployment are assessed and summarised in individual fiches per Member State. Moreover, it analyses to what extent policy measures and industrial initiatives are already being taken to facilitate large-scale implementation of hydrogen in the current and the next decades.
HYDROGEN-POWERED AVIATION
HyNet Executive Report (PDF 174KB)
Overview of HyNet (PDF 176KB)
Overview of HyWays (PDF 638KB)
Member Statements