The transition to a hydrogen economy is essential for achieving climate neutrality and sustainability goals across Europe. The European chemical industry aims to become climate neutral by 2050, and accelerating the deployment of a clean hydrogen economy is crucial for this energy transition.
Despite advances in innovative solutions for establishing a successful hydrogen economy, there remain barriers to technology scale-up and the need for essential enabling factors, such as demand-side support and product-level certification. Representatives from chemical, petrochemical, and aerospace sectors emphasised these points during the panel “Innovation as a Precondition for the Hydrogen Economy,” organised by Cefic at ACHEMA 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.
Using low-carbon hydrogen can help manage costs and energy demands more effectively, at least in the medium term. The development of materials, key components, and the promotion of system integration are needed to address the scientific and technical challenges associated with the scale-up of the hydrogen economy. Additionally, regulatory certainty and demand-side support measures are critical. These were some of the conclusions of the panel debate on “Hydrogen Economy: On Track for 2030?”, which featured experts from the European Commission, industry, like Yara, Cefic, and the civil society organisation Bellona Deutschland.
Path to Success
Innovation, policy alignment, and stakeholder collaboration play key roles in achieving the ambitious goals set for 2030 and beyond. For more successful stories on hydrogen, all stakeholders must work together, adopting a value chain approach. While there is no perfect recipe for success, coordinated efforts and shared strategies are essential. Cefic is committed to playing a central role in this discussion.
The Clean Hydrogen Alliance, for instance, plays a pivotal role in uniting the hydrogen value chain and promoting success stories to inspire collective action towards the European Commission’s hydrogen and climate ambition.
About Cefic’s participation at ACHEMA
Session 1 – Innovation as a precondition for the Hydrogen Economy
Speakers
- Elena Verdú, Green Hydrogen Technology Advisor, Repsol
- Christian Schnitzer, Senior Business Manager, OSN, Evonik
- Martina Neises, Head of Department, Institute of Future Fuels, DLR
Session 2 – Hydrogen Economy: On track for 2030?
Speakers
- Alessandro Polito, Team Leader, Directorate-General Energy, European Commission
- Luc Haustermans, Vice President, Yara
- Elena Leonardi, Energy & Climate Manager, Cefic
- Luisa Keßler, Policy Advisor, Bellona Deutschland
