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Proposal for a Working Group on Green Hydrogen Adopted

21 October, 2022 By Johanna Pacevicius

The Executive Board which took place on 13 October 2022 in Brussels (BE) adopted the proposal for the creation of an AER working group on Green Hydrogen.

The proposal for this working group is led by Catalonia (ES). It is supported by Burgenland (AU), Lower Austria (AU), Valle D’Aosta (IT), Flevoland (NL), Maramures (RO), Värmland (SE), Västra-Götaland (SE), Fribourg (CH), and Denizli (TR).

Policy Exchanges to Accelerate the Green Transition

On May 17th, the AER co-organised with Catalonia the event “Green (H)ydrogen: Powering Our Regions’ Future” at the AER premises in Brussels (BE), under the impulse of the Vice President for Sustainability, Environment & Climate, Albert Castellanos.

The event was an opportunity to:

  • Hear from EU policymakers about opportunities for regions to develop the green hydrogen industry locally; specifically, about funding opportunities under the clean hydrogen partnerships programme and other relevant instruments;
  • Share regional experiences on the development of renewable hydrogen value chains and the impact on regional development
  • Get insights from representatives from the hydrogen industry and work towards developing private and public partnerships for regional development of the hydrogen economy;
  • Have an open discussion/networking session between AER members and identify partnership opportunities.

In the context of this event (presentations are available on the event webpage), as well as through a survey which was circulated, AER members expressed interest in continuing to exchange on the topic, both to exchange experiences in the development of green hydrogen and with views to developing partnerships and EU-funded projects.

Focus of the Exchange and Dissemination of Best Practices

There is significant work to do to scale-up production and demand. At present, hydrogen makes up less than 2% of Europe’s energy mix and is still largely produced from fossil fuels. Producing clean hydrogen from renewable sources like wind and solar is expensive, and while technology has improved and come down in cost, there remain challenges connecting hydrogen production to energy grids and securing enough investment to make it viable.

Regions have a key role to play in scaling up the renewable hydrogen economy across Europe. As noted in a 2020 opinion adopted by the Committee of the Regions, green hydrogen “has the capacity to promote regional and local development because significant parts of the value chain can be established in regions and municipalities”. With the right level of private and public investment, European regions can lead in the creation of self-contained “hydrogen hubs” that link all elements of the value chain.

The role of regions in facilitating, supporting, and developing collaborations for the deployment of green hydrogen was also highlighted during the event on May 17th.

By cooperating and sharing experiences and best practices, regions can inspire each other inter-regionally to the best possible solutions in several areas.

Proposed Activities

The working group aims to

  • organise an event, either in person or online, on EU-funding opportunities and support systems around green hydrogen for regions.
  • facilitate the exchange of regional experiences: how are regions encouraging & supporting the development of the hydrogen economy?
  • develop policy briefs, collect good practices, develop, and share research insights

Next Steps

Regions interested to participate & contribute to the AER working group on Green Hydrogen can fill in this form, to be informed about the activities of the Working Group.

A first online meeting will be announced in the coming weeks on the AER website, to get to know each other, specify interests, identify joint activities, agree on collaboration, and chose a Chair for the working group.

The proposal, which was adopted by the AER Executive Board can be found here.

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Registrations open! Bright Ideas- The Role of Regions in Improving Energy Efficiency

5 May, 2021 By Johanna Pacevicius

Eva Hallström, Chair of the AER Working Group on Energy and Climate Change invites all AER members and friends to join an event on the role of regions in improving energy efficiency. Regions will share their experience, challenges, and enablers. This event is co-organised by Värmland (SE) and Viken (NO)

Energy Efficiency: how to achieve the transition in the industry?

This webinar aims to build a platform for discussions regarding the EU’s work on energy efficiency, focusing on the green transition within the industry. It will be an opportunity to share ideas, experiences, and best practices.

Experiences from the Bioeconomy Region

Värmland and Viken are both members of the “Bioeconomy Region”, a leading region of the forest bioeconomy.

To achieve climate goals while making use of the full potential of the forest bioeconomy, the rate of development and innovation needs to be faster. This is why the Interreg project «The Bioeconomy Region» was created in 2017 by a number of actors in inner Scandinavia

Both regions will share how they support improved energy efficiency in fields as diverse as production, construction or logistics.

Synergies with the Green Deal

The industry will play a central role in the transition to improved energy efficiency and carbon neutrality in Värmland, Viken, and in Europe as a whole. this is why synergies between the European Green Deal and the EU’s Industrial Strategy are needed.

This webinar on energy efficiency will also be an opportunity to gather inputs and testimonies, which will contribute to the work being developed by the AER Task Force on Climate.

Find the programme and link for registrations on the event webpage

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Partner Search: Develop innovative land-based and offshore renewable energy technologies with the team from Umbria

9 December, 2020 By Stanislava Milankov

Are you currently developing a project proposal within the Horizon 2020 European Green Deal Call or do you wish to do so? Then, Municipality of Acquasparta, Municipality of  Sangemini, Municipality of Terni and company Green Power, based in Umbria (Italy), AER member region, are eager to either join an established consortium or to find partners willing to co-create an effective project application.

About the European Green Deal Call

Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call launched on the 18th of September, offers €1 billion investment to boost the green and digital transition. It provides the opportunity and resources to achieve the primary objective of a sustainable Europe and planet. Project proposals have to be submitted by 26 January 2020.

The structure of the call is mirroring the European Green Deal. One of the ten thematic areas is Innovative land-based and offshore renewable energy technologies and their integration into the energy system – LC-GD-2-1-2020 within which proposals should focus on decarbonising Europe by making land-based and offshore renewables the main energy source while keeping the stability and resilience of the European Energy System.

About the “Renewable energy-based systems for District heating and cooling (DHC)” idea

Municipality of Acquasparta, Municipality of  Sangemini, Municipality of Terni and the company Green Power are looking for an established consortium to join as partner for an effective project application to be submitted in order to create a District heating and cooling (DHC) or for cogeneration of heat and power (CHP), possibly within the Horizon 2020 Green Deal calls – Innovative land-based and offshore renewable energy technologies and their integration into the energy system (LC-GD-2-1-2020).

Municipality of Acquasparta, Municipality of  Sangemini, Municipality of Terni and company Green Power aim to create a Self-Sustainable District in region Umbria, Italy. The protection and safeguard of the environment in this area, including springs with mineral water (Sangemini, Fabia, Amerino, etc.) will represent the basis for an eco-system that promotes the well-being of the citizens and other users of the mineral waters produced there. This will be achieved through an environmental recovery, including preparations for the production of green energy in former industrial areas and recovery of land connecting urban centres with major communication routes.

Therefore the team from Umbria is ready to contribute – in a potential project proposal that is already ongoing – by sharing their experience and know-how for designing a qualified project as well as its administrative capabilities for a pilot implementation/validation.

If you are interested in having the team from Umbria on board or have innovative ideas for projects in line with these project ideas, do not hesitate to get back to us by 15 December 2020!

For more information contact:

Agnese Pantaloni, European Projects Coordinator

Email: [email protected]

Photo by Bruce Kee on Unsplash

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