Hydrogen is the key to the energy future – H2Poland Forum.
How to ensure energy security for Europe while taking care of the climate, implementation of the decarbonisation policy and achieving the strategic goal of net zero emissions by 2050? Hydrogen will be a key element in the quest to provide affordable and sustainable energy in the coming years.
European authorities involved in the hydrogen market will be present in Poznań on 16-17 May, 2023. They will take part in the 2nd Central European Hydrogen Technology Forum H2POLAND held on MTP Poznań Expo fairgrounds. What is the key to a secure future?
Europe agrees – a secure future must be based on energy independence. Hydrogen will play a key role in this process.
Paweł Piotrowicz, President of Hydrogen Poland, said:
Ensuring energy security in Europe, while taking care of the climate and decarbonisation strategy, is a great challenge today.
“The CEE region is a training ground for renewable energy installations and it is rapidly implementing hydrogen technologies. Unification of regulations, compatibility and international cooperation are indispensable today”
This cooperation is reflected in new initiatives and a transnational hydrogen agreement, such as the 3 Seas Hydrogen Council, a hydrogen initiative of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States. It will be a platform for exchanging experiences and taking joint actions to support countries and local governments on the road to green transformation.
Representatives of hydrogen organizations from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia and Ukraine will join the agreement. You can meet them during this year’s Central European Hydrogen Technology Forum in Poznań.
The role of hydrogen
The growing role of hydrogen in Europe requires an interdisciplinary approach and multisectoral planning as well as extensive cooperation of many stakeholder groups, as exemplified by the 3W Idea of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego.
Maciej Przybyła, Managing Director of the Strategy Division at Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, said:
We will not achieve climate neutrality without alternative, low- or zero-emission, renewable energy sources. Hydrogen will play a key role in this process, enabling the operation of e.g. emission-free transport, heating and industry
At Idea 3W, we build bridges that connect various environments – science, business, administration, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of Polish enterprises and help them to more effectively use the strategic resources of the future: water, hydrogen and coal. The key word of the 3W initiative is “synergy”: both resources and potentials. These three resources: water-hydrogen-carbon correlate with each other in the environment and respond to the challenges faced by the whole world today.”
H2 fuels transformation
In order to achieve Europe’s strategic goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, and to ensure its secure energy supply, it is crucial to develop new technologies and alternative fuels. The role of hydrogen in the energy mix as an affordable and sustainable energy source is growing dynamically.
Daniel Obajtek, President of the Management Board of PKN ORLEN S.A., which is the Strategic Partner of the H2POLAND Forum in Poznań, said:
ORLEN Group is already one of the largest European producers of hydrogen, which we use for our refining, petrochemical and fertilizer activities.
“Our strategy assumes dynamic decarbonization of the hydrogen production process. The Group’s goal is to become a regional leader in the zero-emission production of this product by the end of the decade — during this time we will have the capacity to produce 1 GW of renewable hydrogen per year. We see the use of hydrogen not only in industry, but also as a fuel in public transport, a component of synthetic fuels for aviation and in the energy sector.”
“The implementation of our business plans will be supported by staff educated as part of the Hydrogen Academy established by ORLEN, which is the first initiative of this kind in Poland.”
PKN ORLEN S.A. will invite participants of the H2POLAND Forum to a session entitled ‘HR of the future based on the H2 Academy’, which will be held on 16 May 2023 at the Earth Hall in the Poznań Congress Center.
The benefits of using hydrogen migrate to the local level – they are visible, for example, in zero-emission urban transport.
Tomasz Pelc, President of the Management Board of Nexus Consultants, said:
Hydrogen buses in urban transport are a very good start, giving relatively quick benefits to local communities.
“However, proactive attitudes of both local government officials and entrepreneurs are needed. Developing local hydrogen strategies, drawing up development maps and finally looking for effective sources of financing are actions that must be taken immediately.”
Cross-border and local challenges
The goals set out in such documents as Fit For 55 or RePowerEU will not be possible to achieve without extensive cooperation connecting various regions, but also various branches of the economy.
Marek Woźniak, Marshal of the Wielkopolska Region, the Host Region of the Forum, said:
Bearing in mind the need to introduce changes in the structure of the economy, the authorities of the Self-Government of the Wielkopolska Region are actively working to popularize and implement renewable energy sources, nuclear and hydrogen technologies in the region, as they may be an important element in the process of reducing emissions in Wielkopolska.
“The need to use innovative technological solutions in this area will become an impulse for the development of new sectors of the economy and an opportunity for Wielkopolska enterprises and the science sector.”
This commitment is visible on the European arena.
Dr. Lars Gutheil, Director General of the Polish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said:
There are many opportunities for cooperation with Poland, especially since this country is one of the largest hydrogen producers in Europe, it also offers excellent conditions as a place of production and in terms of engineering competence in the field of hydrogen technologies.
“There are already many interesting Polish-German initiatives at the regional and local level, such as the development of a hydrogen-powered bus for urban transport — Arthurbus, which will be presented at the H2POLAND Hydrogen Technology Forum in Poznań. I am deeply convinced that thanks to cooperation in this field, the synergy effect can be best used and the green transformation accelerated.”
Come to Poznań on 16-17 May, 2023 to participate in the 2nd Central European Hydrogen Technology Forum H2POLAND that will be held on MTP Poznań Expo fairgrounds.
About H2POLAND
The Central European Hydrogen Forum H2POLAND is a response to the need to popularise knowledge on low- and zero-emission technologies. It is a space for cross-environmental cooperation between business, science, local governments and NGOs to maximise the share of Polish production and service resources in the implementation of hydrogen investments.
The uniqueness of the event is based on the combination of the trade fair exhibition with the conference part, while the topics are in line with the REPowerEU plan. The hydrogen economy is one of the key directions in curbing global climate change. The second edition of H2POLAND will be held at the Poznań Congress Center on 16-17 May 2023.
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Hydrogen is the key to the energy future, May 2023
