(Finance) – The Italian supply chain ofhydrogen it is increasingly interconnected. Assolombarda, H2IT – Italian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and LE2C – Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster launch H2ERE Network, the new digital platform that acts as a meeting point between research and business to accelerate the growth of the entire sector. The tool, designed to encourage collaboration and the exchange of skills between the various players, was presented yesterday at the meeting “Hydrogen: Future prospects and opportunities for the world of industry and research”, Organized by Assolombarda, H2IT and LE2C, which was attended, among others, by Raffaele Cattaneo, Councilor for the Environment and Climate of the Lombardy Region, Alberto Dossi, President of H2IT and Deputy Vice President of Assolombarda, and Luca Donelli, President of LE2C.
The hydrogen sector is in full evolution. The political will to accelerate on the transition ecological is making it essential for achieving the decarbonisation targets by 2030 and the climate neutrality objectives by 2050. This is also confirmed by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership recently launched by the European Commission and which, between direct EU and private investments (coming from the partnership companies), provides funds for over 2 billion euros for the period 2021-2027. A clear direction, which will lead to an important technological evolution along the entire supply chain, from production to transport, up to storage and other areas of application.
But the investments alone are not enough. It is necessary to network, strengthen the collaborative relationship between the world of research and the industrial world to develop innovative projects capable of unlocking the full potential of the sector. It is precisely to this need that H2ERE Network responds: a digital “home”, free, available to all businesses of the territory Lombard who need to carry out projects related to hydrogen. But also a vehicle to give visibility to all research institutes and / or testing laboratories that want to start collaborations with companies in the sector. In a context international in continuous change, the role of Italian research excellence is fundamental to support the industry from experimental development to the realization of the commercial product, to obtain a competitive advantage and be a protagonist in the hydrogen market under construction.
“At the moment, the priority of the hydrogen sector can be summed up in one word: ‘synergy’ – commented Alberto Dossi, President of H2IT and Deputy Vice President of Assolombarda -. It is only through the continuous interaction between companies and research institutions, which has always been encouraged by H2IT and Assolombarda, that the sector can take advantage of the many opportunities that are emerging and overcome technological gaps and regulatory barriers that hinder growth. As evidenced by the funds of the PNRR and Mission Innovation, in addition to participation in the IPCEI on hydrogen, the drive of our country to finance projects and research on hydrogen is evident. Our goal is not to waste this opportunity and quickly build a strong market, so that Italy is strategically positioned in all the reference sectors of the supply chain. With the birth of H2ERE Network, Made in Italy hydrogen takes a further step in this direction. “
“The development of hydrogen represents one of the four pillars of LE2C’s 2021-27 Strategic Plan together with CO2 reduction, industrial symbiosis and digitalization – he explained Luca Donelli, President LE2C. The open and collaborative approach that distinguishes our modus operandi leads to tangible results such as the launch of the H2ERE platform, the result of joint work with Assolombarda and H2IT, which I thank for having wanted to develop with us what a few months ago was little more than a ‘idea. Being able to present it in person adds a particular tone to the day and I believe it is a good omen to further increase trust among the stakeholders involved, encourage the rapid population of the H2ERE platform and encourage its intensive use by Lombard companies.
“The energy transition – said the Councilor for the Environment and Climate of the Lombardy Region, Raffaele Cattaneo – it can be accomplished thanks to the diversification of energy sources, in a perspective of technological neutrality, to investments in research in the energy field. In this context, the Lombardy Region considers hydrogen as one of the forms of energy to focus on. And it has already implemented initiatives to promote the ecological transition, for example to use the funds of the NRP to produce hydrogen from renewable sources as a clean energy vector, so that the territorial applications received so far to favor initiatives such as the Hydrogen Valley (for example that of Valcamonica or the area around Malpensa) take concrete form. The Regions and local authorities can represent the interlocutors of private players for the development of projects, which will make these areas not only accelerators in the use of hydrogen, but real examples of environmental sustainability “.