Energy and Green Mobility: More Research and Innovation Needed to Protect EU Competitiveness
In recent years, European initiatives aimed at funding research and innovation projects on renewable hydrogen have become increasingly widespread. Numerous calls are moving in this direction, with different focuses, from green hydrogen production to its use in the transport sector.
Behind the funding opportunities offered by Brussels lie solid strategies for the development of green hydrogen. Let's start with the strategies and then move on to the calls for funding projects focused on hydrogen.
European Strategies for Green Hydrogen Development
Since July 2020, the European Union has begun its journey to enhance the energy carrier with the adoption of the hydrogen strategy and the commitment to invest up to 470 billion euros in green hydrogen by 2050. Alongside the strategy, the Clean Hydrogen Alliance was also presented, co-organizing the European Hydrogen Week to bring together investors, government, institutional, and industrial partners, aiming to create a complete and efficient supply chain to make the Union a leader in the green hydrogen sector.
Brussels' willingness to invest in the sector was further confirmed within the REPowerEU, the plan presented in May 2022 aiming to end the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels, as a direct consequence of the Ukraine attack. With the plan, Europe aims to achieve 10 million tons of domestic renewable hydrogen production and 10 million tons of imports by 2030, to replace natural gas, coal, and oil in industries and transport, the so-called "hard to abate" sectors.
Complementing these strategic tools, in 2023, the Commission established the European Hydrogen Bank, aiming to ensure the purchase of renewable hydrogen. Based on the auction mechanism, the Bank supports green hydrogen production in Europe. Following the success of the first auction, which offered 800 million euros, the second increased the budget to 1.
