ICIQ Gathers European Hydrogen Leaders to Discuss Its Energy Potential

Two-Day Event in Tarragona Reunited European Leaders, Researchers, Companies and Start-ups Collaborating to Explore the Future of Green Hydrogen and its Transformative Potential for Sustainability and Decarbonization

The event ‘Hydrogen Horizons’, co-organized by the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ-CERCA) and the European project ANEMEL led by the University of Galway (Ireland), has become a space for dialogue and knowledge exchange among various stakeholders. Furthermore, it has promoted strategic collaborations among them, as well as the creation of a roadmap towards a more sustainable and ecological future.

Green hydrogen, obtained through water electrolysis using solar or wind energy, is emerging as an efficient and sustainable energy vector to store, transport, and distribute energy. Its production substantially reduces carbon emissions, thus propelling the transition towards a circular economy.

In line with these goals, the ambitious European Green Deal aims for climate neutrality by 2050 through, among other things, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing the use of fossil fuels. Thus, in 2022, the European Commission and the European Innovation Council (EIC) allocated nearly 30 million euros to fund multidisciplinary projects, including research on the production and utilization of green hydrogen.

During the event, researchers from ICIQ and ANEMEL, along with scientific and technical experts from various collaborating entities, have presented, debated, and explored solutions. The industry has also had a significant presence through companies such as Messer, DeNora, Repsol, and Dupont, as well as startups focusing on green hydrogen production. Representatives from the Commission have presented funding programs for green hydrogen technologies and other initiatives to boost investments in renewable energies.

The meeting, supported by the scientific publisher Elsevier and the scientific community Hydrogen Europe Research, has also seen the participation of several representatives from the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia. This strategic initiative aims to consolidate an ecosystem around the hydrogen value chain to promote competitiveness and ensure the decarbonization of the economy.

At ICIQ, half of the research groups work on artificial photosynthesis, hydrogen production, and other sustainable fuels, as well as solar cells. In this way, they focus their research on developing intelligent materials to enhance water electrolysis and achieve efficient, cost-effective, and scalable production of hydrogen. Additionally, ICIQ’s spin-off, Jolt, is developing catalytic solutions for water electrolyzer, demonstrating higher energy efficiency and durability. On the other hand, ICIQ is partner of the SUNER-C community, an Eu-funded project employed by the SUNERGY community, uniting science, business, societal and other relevant stakeholders, to develop and expand the innovation ecosystem for solar fuels and chemicals. All this knowledge developed at ICIQ is to facilitate a transition towards decarbonizing the economy.

About ANEMEL

ANEMEL is a project funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC), exploring new methods to generate green hydrogen from impure water sources, such as seawater and wastewater. With a total budget of nearly 5 million euros, of which 3 million come from the EIC, ANEMEL will develop efficient electrolyzers and accelerate prototype design over the next four years. More information: www.anemel.eu

About EIC Green Hydrogen Projects

The European Innovation Council’s green hydrogen strategy brings together 9 projects funded through the EIC Pathfinder Challenges call “New Routes for Green Hydrogen Production,” launched in 2021. The projects share common themes and objectives, in this case, the efficient generation of green hydrogen, and extend over a period of up to 60 months, ending in September 2027. The total funding provided by the EIC for these projects amounts to almost 30 million euros. More information: www.eichydrogen.eu