The researchers Silvia Ricciuti and Diego Viesi participated in the General Assembly of the InCUBE Project. The meeting took place on the 30th and 31st of May 2023, in Barcellona, and was hosted by the project partner ITeC.

The event gave the opportunity to discuss on the different technologies and solutions that will be demonstrated at the three demo sites and and strengthen the collaboration between all the different European partners. 

The Centre for Sustainable Energy of FBK is partner of the Project, coordinates the activities of the Work Package 7, and is also leader of the Trento Demo. 

The InCUBE demonstration site is located in the Santa Chiara District which lies in the South-East of the historic centre of Trento. The project will mainly focus on the deep renovation of the Centro Servizi Culturali Santa Chiara owned by Comune di Trento. The energy needs of the building will be reduced by half and the renewable energy production will be increased to 864 MWh per year. Besides this specific building, five other publicly owned buildings will be deeply renovated for tertiary uses and residential spaces to enhance the district-level approach favouring the emergence of a Renewable Energy Community. 

For more information on the project, visit www.incubeproject.eu 

The First Italian Workshop on Ammonia Energy has been held from 14.30 on 31 May 2023 in Florence, at the Auditorium of Santa Apollonia.

Ammonia Energy is emerging as a key topic towards the decarbonisation of power, heat and transportation sectors. 

The event organised by the Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie per l'Energia e la Mobilità Sostenibili del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-STEMS), the Italian Section of the Combustion Institute - ASICI, and the Universities of Pisa, Perugia and Florence, gathered experts from Academia, SMEs and Industrial companies discussed on the "ammonia economy" open issues.

The Head of Hydrogen Technologies Area at the Centre of Sustainable Energy of FBK was invited as speaker at the event. Matteo Testi outlined the activities of the Centre in this field and focused on the project AMON, which aim at developing a novel system for the utilization and conversion of ammonia into electric power at high efficiency using a solid oxide fuel cell. The AMON Project is coordinated by FBK through the Centre SE. 

More information on the event and the agenda, at this link.

AMON website will be soon available at www.amon-project.eu 

On Tuesday 30 May, the Director of Center for Sustainable Energy of the Fondazione Bruno Kessler Luigi Crema gave a speech on hydrogen during the event Wired Digital Day, in Lecce. 

The presentation entitled "La scommessa sull'idrogeno per far correre l'economia [The bet on hydrogen to get the economy going]" underlined how the energy transition is an obligation that cannot be waived, but renewables alone cannot be enough to guarantee continuity of supply. Luigi explained how hydrogen is one of the most concrete possibilities for a green turning point in the entire energy chain: the infrastructure for transmission is there and the raw material is not lacking.

As reported in the article of Wired Italia, at the beginning of the year 2023, the Apulia Region started the Hydrogen Valley tender to encourage companies to submit projects to build renewable hydrogen production plants in abandoned industrial areas. 

“Hydrogen could become a pillar of the future energy system, accompanying deep electrification, thus creating the need to develop a complete market" remarked Luigi Crema. "For Europe, hydrogen has become an important theme, the industry has collaborated with research for several years and in fact the European industry is an industry that plays it on a global level”.

Source: https://www.wired.it/article/wired-digital-day-2023-racconto-puglia/

Wired Digital Day took place on May 30 at the Apollo Theater in Lecce, and it consists of an entire day of talks, presentations and debates to discover the future. Sustainability, energy transition, manufacturing 4.0, healthcare and aerospace are changing the rules of the world; those who lead the change will tell how to build a society that respects the environment, is creative and capable of looking beyond traditional borders.

The new materials that science makes available to industry, the hydrogen that will power factories in the next decade and the micro-satellites that will assist us from low Earth orbit are an opportunity for the economic development of territories. Technological innovations that find their home in Puglia, thanks to companies, scientific and biomedical centers that work to found the Italy of 2050.

Source: https://eventi.wired.it/digitalday2023/home 

On the 4th of May 2023, Giulia di Gregorio gave the presentation entitled "Sputtering Techniques for Catalyst Fabrication in Water Electrolysis" at the Industrial Days in Rovereto. 

Giulia is a PhD student of the Doctorate Program in Industrial Innovation at the University of Trento. At the Industrial Innovation Day 2023, Giulia spoke about the research that she is doing at the Centre for Sustainable Energy of Fondazione Bruno Kessler, in collaboration with the company ENPHOS. 

The studies are focusing on the development of novel high-performant and cost-effective PGM-free electrocatalysts for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis using sputtering techniques.

The Industrial Innovation Day took place at the Polo Meccatronica in Rovereto, on May 4. The initiative is organised by The Doctorate Program in Industrial Innovation - co-founded by the University of Trento and the Fondazione Bruno Kessler. It is an interdisciplinary program that offers a wide range of courses by the Fondazione Bruno Kessler and the Departments of Information Engineering and Computer Science (DISI), Industrial Engineering (DII), Economics and Management (DEM), Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM) and Physics (DIF) of the University of Trento.

Companies are the key players of the Program that propose specific research problems (e.g. research topics) to solve and participate in the design of individual educational paths

For more information on the above, check this this link.

On the 24th and 25th of May, Edoardo Gino Macchi - Head of Battery Technology Area, and the researcher Adriano Li Matzumura travelled to Toulouse (France) to participate in the General Assembly of the projects JIVE and JIVE 2. 

The projects involve the implementation of Fuel Cell Electric Battery Buses (FCEBs) in 16 different cities around Europe. 

Fondazione Bruno Kessler, through the Centre for Sustainable Energy, is partner to the projects and is responsible to get data on the perception and satisfaction of different stakeholders, such as bus passengers, bus drivers, and policy makers. 

During the Assembly, all partners presented the activities state-of-art, and exchange the challenges faced in implementing FCEBs as a new form of public transportation. Following the meeting, the participants had the opportunity to make a site visit to FCEBs.

For more information on the above and similar projects at this link.

On Tuesday 23 May 2023, the third edition of the Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic Conference took place in Nova Gorica (Slovenia). 

The rich agenda included the participation of industrial parties, associations, public authorities and Univeristies.
Luigi Crema - as President of Hydrogen Europe Research and Vice President at the Italian Association for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, spoke about the importance of the transnational cooperation and cross-regional dimension of the NAHV.

The purpose of the event is to bring together the parties creating an unprecedented phenomenon of cross-regional cooperation in the transition towards a clean energy future based on clean hydrogen. The goal of the 3rd conference is to accelerate activities related the development of North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) project, the first Transnational Hydrogen Valley project in the EU in 2023 and to boost other already ongoing projects developed by industry towards a regional hydrogen ecosystem to accelerate regional and European energy transition, to scale innovations. Industrial partners, universities, and society leaders from participating countries are working together to explore further development opportunities and accelerate already envisaged projects.

For more information on the event check this link.

Last Saturday, 20 May 2023, Luigi Crema participated in the panel "Idrogeno, un ponte verso un futuro sostenibile [Hydrogen, a bridge to a sustainable future]" of the Galileo Festival dell'Innovazione. 

The President of Hydrogen Europe Research and Director of the Sustainable Energy Centre underlined the importance of hydrogen in the decarbonisation process to realise a resilient and strong energy system, that will be able to support the deep electrification of the final uses. 

The event was an important moment of discussion and exchange of opinion between the speakers:  Vito Di Noto - Professor of Electrochemistry for Energy at the University of Padua, Emanuela Lucchini - President of Ici Caldaie,  Roberto Gasparetto - Managing Director of AcegasApsAmga.

This year, the Festival celebrated its 11th edition and took place in Padua, from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st May 2023, with more than 60 events. The event is promoted by the Municipality of Padua and ItalyPost, and is focused on 4 topic areas: space economy, robocs and AI, energu, life sciences and biotech.

For more information on the event check this link.

The Mantua hydrogen valley - a project promoted by the Province of Mantua together with private partners which are leaders in the sector - was officially presented during a public event on 9 May 2023. 

The hydrogen valley project obtained around 30 million euros from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, unlocking over 30 million of private capital, for an overall project worth more than 60 million euros. The decarbonisation of the territory is the primary objective of these funds, but will also allow the creation of an industrial hub that will be able to produce more than 1,500 tons of hydrogen per year from renewable sources, avoiding the emission of over 14,000 tons of CO2 per year.

As part of the development of the Mantua hydrogen valley, other actions are foreseen. Among others the construction of a photovoltaic park is planned as well as the installation of a 10 MW electrolyser in abandoned industrial area, the installation of a Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRS) and the supply of hydrogen to local 'hard to abate' industries.

Luigi Crema - Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy, was invited to the event and stated that "FBK, through the Center for Sustainable Energy, is one of the scientific references for the development of the Mantova Hydrogen Valley. We provide expertise, development models, infrastructure and laboratories to accelerate the implementation of the project initiatives. We do it with passion and dedication".

For more information on the event check the links on HydroNews and Gruppo SAPIO - News.

On Monday 8 May, the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy of FBK - Luigi Crema, was the the Victoria Theatre in Trento to participate in an interdisciplinary debate on the sustainable energy future and the actions to mitigate, adapt and produce energy in line with the current environmental dynamics. 

The event aimed at raising the public awareness and fostering the exchange of information in order to prepare the citizens to the future changes and how to deal with them. 

On the stage with Luigi Crema there were Massimiliano Fazzini - geologist and climatologist at Unicam, Maurizio Fauri - Professor of electric systems for energy at the University of Trento, and Antonio Galgaro - expert in geothermal energy. 

Fazzini focused on the need to create modern solutions to adapt to the new climate, Fauri illustrated the fundamental steps of the energy transition towards a decarbonised society, Crema explained the potential of hydrogen to achieve the objectives set by the EU Commission, and Galgaro presented the perspectives of the geothermal energy in the buildings. 

The event was the first of the series "Rotary Incontri" and was organised by the Rotary Club Trentino Nord.

Source: https://www.ildolomiti.it/cultura/2023/cambiamenti-climatici-cosa-possiamo-fare-per-il-nostro-domani-torna-il-rotary-incontri-dopo-anni-di-stop-per-una-serata-libera-da-approcci-ideologici 

On Saturday 6 May, the Head of Hydrogen Technology Area Matteo Testi participated in the talk "L'intelligenza energetica" at the Wired Next Festival. 

The panel saw the participation of Matteo Testi (FBK), Fabio Fava (Professor at the University of Bologna) and Francesca Failoni (Chief Financial Officer and co-founder of Alps Blockchain). The speakers discussed about how to reduce waste, differentiate production, enable new consumption, as well as about the role of digital technologies in energy management.

Wired Next Festival celebrated its 10 years and started its journey in Rovereto, on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 May. 

The leitmotif of this edition was Italy, the place of innovation. A celebration of our country as a territory that knows how to combine creativity, art and technology, a window on the future and on the challenges to be faced, on the skills to be developed, but also on the legacy of a past that can be a guide in this transformation process.

Through music, debates, interviews, creative workshops and experiences the event aims at raise the awareness on how to safeguard the precious uniqueness of the country and how to enhance it in the face of increasingly complex international scenarios, with an eye to social issues and the integration of all people. Because Italy is a place of innovation for everyone.

Source: https://eventi.wired.it/wnf23-rovereto

It is time to affirm hydrogen as a key vector for the energy transition and security of our country.

Last week, the Members' Assembly confirmed the top management of the Association for the three-year period 2023-2025, which will continue the work done in recent years which allowed H2IT to become a key interlocutor for national and local institutions and bodies.

On 28 April, the shareholders' meeting of H2IT – Associazione Italiana Idrogeno elected the new Board of Directors, which will lead the Association in the three-year period 2023-2025. The outgoing President Alberto Dossi (President of the Sapio Group) was confirmed for the third consecutive time at the top of the Board, demonstrating the will of the Association to continue along the path undertaken.

Together with the President, the Vice-Presidents Valter Alessandria (Alstom Ferroviaria), Dina Lanzi (Snam) and Luigi Crema (Fondazione Bruno Kessler) were reconfirmed. The Presidential Council will be supported in guiding the Association by nine Councilors representing companies and institutions in the hydrogen sector; Andrea Bombardi (RINA), Stefano Capponi (Tenaris), Luigi D'Onofrio (Edison Next), Davide Damosso (Environment Park), Federico Ferrini (Techfem), Luigi Ksawery Lucà (Toyota Motor Italia), Giulia Monteleone (ENEA), Angelo Moreno (Stress) and Lorenzo Privitera (A2A).

“The trust shown by the Assembly by reconfirming my Presidency gives me new energy and motivation to continue the role of president with commitment and dedication together with the new board of directors – declared Alberto Dossi, President of H2IT. "Today a new chapter opens for the Association and with the commitment of all of us new impulses will be given to the mission of H2IT with the objective of creating the hydrogen market in Italy by continuing to collaborate with the institutions. The new Governing Council reflects the will of an Assembly which wanted on the one hand to show the trust to those who have worked in recent years for the successes we have achieved in the concept of continuity, and on the other a signal of renewal to bring new ideas and new energies to promote hydrogen nationwide. With these assumptions, I am convinced that this Board of Directors will do its utmost with enthusiasm, determination and competence to support the important projects that are about to be implemented. A new chapter of challenges and goals to be achieved opens. We are ready to start our work. Thank you all."

During the last three years under the guidance of Alberto Dossi, H2IT has had an exponential evolution. The number of members has gone from just over 40 to 130, a growth that has contributed to fueling the dialogue between the stakeholders in a highly innovative and technological supply chain with enormous growth margins. Opportunities for discussions with national and local institutions have also multiplied, with the aim of affirming hydrogen as a fundamental vector for energy transition and security within the country's political agenda. The Association has become the interlocutor of the bodies responsible for developing regulations and legislation such as ARERA, the Fire Brigade, the GSE and, despite the various changes in the Government, it has established itself as a point of reference for the various Ministries competent in the field of hydrogen.

In 2016, H2IT supported the Ministries in the elaboration of the "National Plan for Hydrogen Mobility" (later updated in 2019) and, in 2018, entered into a collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior for the drafting of the "Fire prevention technical rule for the design, construction and operation of hydrogen distribution systems for motor vehicles". In recent years, it has made available support for hydrogen investments envisaged by the PNRR.

All the efforts of the Association have been aimed at supporting the conditions of the development of the Hydrogen market through precise and programmed actions such as: suggesting the adoption of clear regulations to the institutions, indicating financing schemes and incentive tools, requesting the active commitment on the part of politics, possibly creating discussion tables with the Ministries to acquire national infrastructures enabling the development of the hydrogen market.

In these three years, the perception of the importance of hydrogen has also changed, in Italy and in Europe, and the sector is evolving rapidly, with new players and many projects in the pipeline. In parallel, the Association has grown while maintaining the principles on which it was founded and which it has consolidated, defended and developed over the years. Such as respect for competition in a market yet to be built, the importance of collaboration between different stakeholders, the sharing of skills between companies, teaming up with institutions and territories and, finally, the relevance of research centers and universities in accelerating the process to bring the best and most innovative technological solutions to the market.

Source: https://www.h2it.it/h2it-associazione-italiana-idrogeno-eletto-il-nuovo-consiglio-direttivo/

In these days, the World Hydrogen & Renewables Conference is taking place in Milan. The event is organised by World Hydrogen Leaders and, with its 80 speakers and more than 200 participants, it is considered an unmissable opportunity for renewable energy and hydrogen professionals to come together and understand the key industry trends, technology, and strategies to effectively integrate and advance the clean energy and hydrogen sectors in Italy and Europe as a whole, while enjoying exclusive networking activities. 

Yesterday, on 3rd May 2023, the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy of FBK Luigi Crema and the Head of Battery Technologies Area Edoardo G.Macchi participated as speakers in two panels. 

Edoardo Macchi focused on how innovation in battery storage can secure flexibility in the grid, giving an overview of long-duration ESS and promising non-electrochemical energy storage technologies, including the strategies to increase the relevant skills. The panel "The Role of Battery Storage as a Crucial Piece of the Puzzle" saw also the participation of Esmeralda Colombo (CMCC), Marco Bertazzi (Encavis) and Filippo Meucci (Statkraft).

In the afternoon, Luigi Crema with Massimo Valsania (EthosEnergy) and Viviana Cigolotti (ENEA) participated in the panel "The Potential for Hydrogen in Italy" moderated by Tim Podesta (World Hydrogen Leader). The discussion developed around three main topic related to the investment landscape for hydrogen in Italy and the development of hydrogen value chain development, the enabler for Italy's geographical and climatic conditions for achieving its ecological and energy transition goals, and the international co-operation needed to accelerate the uptake of hydrogen in the EU, and Italy’s role in this transition.

Check out the website: https://www.worldhydrogenrenewablesitaly.com/ 

In January 2023, the European project COMMUNITAS officially started. It aims to support citizens to become active participants in the energy sector and to provide a set of tools to support the creation, growth and development of energy communities. Together with seven other European pilot sites, Trentino is one of the  main characted of this project, which points to the creation and support of a new energy community within the Primiero Valley. Among the 18 European partners of COMMUNITAS there are also ACSM S.p.A. and the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK) through the Sustainable Energy Center. A total of 8 European countries are involved: Portugal, Greece, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland and Croatia.

A workshop has been scheduled for 12 May 2023 (5.00 PM) in Primiero San Martino di Castrozza (Sala Negrelli of the Community of Primiero, via Roma 19), to inform and involve the citizens and local authorities on the energy communities. 

During this public evening the mayors of the three municipalities belonging to the Primiero Valley will intervene, as well as the President of the Comunità di Valle and of the Natural Park Paneveggio Pale di San Martino. Particularly interesting will be the interventions of representatives of leading bodies, at local and national level, who have already been working on the issue of energy communities for some time. Among these, the head of the CER project within RSE, and the Director of the Energy Resources Studies and Planning Office, in APRIE-PAT. Space will then be given to the President of CEDIS, who will describe in detail the experience of the first energy community born in Trentino in Riccomassimo in 2021.

Among the speakers there are the representatives of the COMMUNITAS Project Simone Canteri, General Manager of ACSM S.p.A., the company that will have the role of facilitator of the nascent CER Valle di Primiero, and Gionata Luca, FBK researcher. They will describe the objectives, the partners involved and the methodology of the European project. 

Finally, the evening will be concluded by an interaction session with citizens and local authorities, to collect expectations and useful ideas for the continuation of the work over the next few months.

Read the press release in Italian at this link. 

Check out the agenda of the event, at this link.

The exhibition event of this European Project took place in Paris, on April 21st, 2023, with the presentation of the project activities and the demonstration of the prototype.

Last April 21st, 2023, Matteo Testi - Head of Hydrogen Technologies Area, together with Ilaria Alberti - Knowledge Manager of the Centre SE, and the researchers Davide Ragaglia and Giacomo Gottardi, participated in the final event of HyCARE Project took place in Paris with an exhibition entitled “The HyCARE system. Opportunities and challenges of the energy storage sector”. 

The show hosted by ENGIE Lab Crigen in cooperation with CNRS aimed to show the main results of activities carried out during the HyCARE Project, supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, and coordinated by the University of Turin.

The day started with the presentation of the project activities, outlining the process for testing and tailoring the hydrogen carrier as well as those related to the production and processing. Heat management was also a fundamental topic, together with the description of the design and building of the tank, the system integration, its commissioning, and validation. Finally, the techno-economic analysis was explained together with a short overview of exploitation and dissemination activities implemented.  

Following the Partners’ presentations, HyCARE hosted other three EU projects COSMHYC, SHERLOHCK and HyPSTER on hydrogen storage topic that presented their activities and shared their own experience.

 Finally a Stakeholder Roundtable was moderated by HyCARE Coordinator, Marcello Baricco, with Patricia De Rango – Member of Task 40 of Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme (Hydrogen TCP) within the International Energy Agency, Olivier Joubert – Director of the French Federation of Hydrogen Energy FRH2, Abdelilah Slaoui – Director of the CNRS Task Force on Energy and co-director of the PEPRH2, Pierre Roy, Director of European Strategic Collaborative Program, Enterprise relationships Directorate at CNRS. The discussion focused on the big challenges of hydrogen storage in the future.

The event wrapped up with the visit to the demonstrator guided by Jose M. Bellosta von Colbe – expert on metal hydrides from Hereon, who explained the functioning and components in the container, followed by the visit to the laboratories of ENGIE Lab CRIGEN guided by Reda Bellahcene and Olivier Lefranc, from ENGIE.

“It has been a great challenge” – says prof. Marcello Baricco, of the University of Turin and project coordinator – “but we are now happy to demonstrate the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. The theoretical studies on metal hydrides, performed in last years in European laboratories, find now a real application at a large scale. The combination of Metal Hydrides with Phase Change Materials for the thermal management of a hydrogen storage system was claimed since a while, but now it is a realty. We really thank the Clean Hydrogen Partnership for the financial support to the project. All partners have worked together with professionalism and enthusiasm, allowing to reach the final goal of the HyCARE project.”

Read the entire press release in English, here: https://www.fbk.eu/en/press-releases/progetto-hycare-un-approccio-innovativo-per-lo-stoccaggio-di-energia-rinnovabile-ora-diventato-realta/ 

Read the entire press release in Italian, here: https://www.fbk.eu/it/press-releases/progetto-hycare-un-approccio-innovativo-per-lo-stoccaggio-di-energia-rinnovabile-ora-diventato-realta/ 

Check out the website: https://hycare-project.eu/category/news/ 

Climate change and massive use of fossil fuels are having visible and tangible effects on the sensitive Alpine region and the beauty of its landscapes. It is sufficient to think of the rise of temperatures of the last two years and the lack of water. AMETHyST overall objective is to support the deployment of local Alpine green hydrogen ecosystems where several green H2 applications are combined on a geographical area with high potential for H2.

This project will pave the way to the implementation of Alpine Hydrogen Valleys and an Alpine post-carbon lifestyle, through the raising of capacities and understanding of public authorities and implementation of pilot projects, with the support of sectoral agencies and innovation clusters.

The Center for Sustainable Energy of the Fondazione Bruno Kessler coordinates the first of three work packages, which aims at raising awareness in the territories involved on the potential of green and low carbon hydrogen in the Alpine area, with a specific attention to the tourist sector. In particular, the researcher Eleonora Cordioli will lead numerous activities including the mapping of initiatives, technologies and economic models involving the production or use of hydrogen in the Alpine areas, and the creation of a platform for the collection and sharing of knowledge acquired as a tool for identifying best practices and development models. Several roundtables and a conference in Trentino will also be organized. These events will involve project partners, but, above all, local stakeholders, and will not only focus on sharing the results of the activities and explore the issues, but also pave the way for local initiatives, opportunities and Hydrogen Valleys and take a step forward towards the decarbonization of the Alpine areas, especially in the tourism sector.

On March 7th and 8th, Luigi Crema, Director of the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK, and the researchers Eleonora Cordioli, Sara Stemberger and Jacopo de Maigret took part in the kick-off event for AMETHyST in Moûtiers in the French Alps. 

“The launch of the AMETHYST project in Moûtiers was successful!” commented Eleonora Cordioli, researcher at the Centre for Sustainable Energy and WP Leader of AMETHyST “The kick-off meeting was a great opportunity for officially starting the activities and exchanging views with partners. We are confident that the project will help drive the transition towards sustainable Alpine territories, reinforcing the hydrogen value chain and supporting public authorities in developing local energy plans and regional strategies for the deployment of green hydrogen solutions. A step forward to the creation of Alpine H2 ecosystems.”

Luigi Crema, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy, reported that “It was a pleasure to support the event in Moûtiers. It has brought together a lot of stakeholders of the hydrogen value chain and several passionate stakeholders to boost hydrogen in several Alpine projects. The workshop/event has highlighted several important and relevant points to accelerate the hydrogen uptake, based on Alpine specific values. First of all, the need to work on innovative business cases, and in parallel to this, the need of incentives to support the realization of an attracting market framework for hydrogen.”

Read the entire press release in English, here: https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/amethyst-project-to-develop-local-hydrogen-ecosystems-in-the-alpine-region-kicks-off/

Read the entire press release in Italian, here: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/al-via-il-progetto-amethyst-per-lo-sviluppo-di-ecosistemi-locali-di-idrogeno-nel-territorio-alpino/ 

The war in Ukraine has pointed the attention to the need to think again about energy. Invest in Trentino has decided to start a comprehensive and in-depth study on the subject of energy in the Province of Trento, which foresees different steps: from the analysis of the the strategic guidelines within the Provincial Environmental Energy Plan (PEAP), to the visit of local companies, passing through interviews to research centres to understand the technologies of the future. 

As written in this article, the PEAP is an "important policy document has guided Trentino's energy choices since 1979 and in forty years has grown with the times, adapting to changing needs. The primary goal of the 2021 - 2030 PEAP is to reach the end of the decade with a 55% reduction in the level of climate-changing gas emissions compared to 1990, in order to achieve the total decarbonisation required by the EU in 2050. An ambitious undertaking, which requires the  contribution of everyone, from politicians to entrepreneurs, from industry to civil society."

The Province constructed the Plan with the help of Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the University of Trento and the Fondazione Edmund Mach. 

Within this framework, Invest in Trentino interviewed Luigi Crema - the Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy, and Diego Viesi - the Head of Sustainable Territories Area.

Luigi Crema explained that the Centre SE "outlined the scenarios through which the Trentino energy system will be able to achieve the decarbonisation targets set by the European Union. Within these scenarios, the technologies in which investments will have to be made were identified as well as how they should be used. All taking into account the necessary costs and the level of decarbonisation brought about by the individual scenario". 

Diego Viesi explained that the Centre SE analysed 15.000 scenarios for 2030 and "150 were deemed optimal to enable the province to achieve precise decarbonisation targets at the lowest possible cost". The Head of Sustainable Territories Area also focused on the tools used, which consisted in the EnergyPLAN software, and the an evolutionary multi-objective algorithm coupled with EnergyPLAN.

Listen to the interviews and read more about the involvement of research centres on the webpage.

Another conference for the Centre for Sustainable Energy of FBK, to conclude a March rich of events!

Luigi Crema, Director of the Centre SE and President of Hydrogen Europe Research, gave the presentation entitles "Priorities for hydrogen R&I in Europe: The perspective of Hydrogen Europe Research" during the session Overview of hydrogen policies, strategies and research activites at the Hydrogen Days 2023.

In the afternoon, Luigi chaired the session Overview of hydrogen research strategies and hydrogen activities which saw the participation of representatives from the University of Birmingham (UK),  New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization NEDO (Japan), Business Sweden (Sweden) and CNRS (France).

The 13th International Conference on Hydrogen Technologies took place in Prague between 29 and 31 March 2023, and is organised by HYTEP - Czech Hydrogen Technology Platform.

Check the programme, at this link.

During the lat week of March, K.EY - the Energy Transition Expo took place in Rimini with its 6 thematic areas: solar, wind, hydrogen expo, efficiency, e-mobility and city. 

Luigi Crema, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy, presented the European Context of they Hydrogen Valleys, on March 23.
The presentation was included in the session entitled "Idrogeno verde: dalle tecnologie per la sua produzione all'utilizzo nelle hydrogen valleys [Green Hydrogen: from the the production technologies to its use in the hydrogen valleys]".  The event, chaired by ENEA and H2IT - Associazione Italiana Idrogeno, and gave an overview on the legislation and regulations currently present as well as on the challenges that this energy sector might face.

On the same day, Edoardo Gino Macchi - Head of the Battery Technologies Area of the Centre for Sustainable Energy - participated in the roundtable on the Downstream segment of the Batteries Supply Chain.
The roundtable was part of the session "La filiera nazionale delle batterie: a che punto siamo? [The national supply chain of batteries: where are we?]". The event, chaired by ENEA and MANZ Italia, aimed at presenting the state-of-art of the two Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI projects) on batteries, which gathers numerous companies and research centres and cover the whole supply chain.
The discussion involved different stakeholders and was divided in two session: the first on the Upstream segment (raw materials and production) and on recycling, the second on the Downstream segment (Manufacturing and Application).

The K.EY Fair provides a comprehensive showcase for technologies, integrated solutions and services that can guide the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral economy, giving the opportunity to stakeholders, players and leaders in the renewable energy sector to meet and communicate with each other.

Check the programme, at this link.

A seminar on the new challenges set by smart mobility and energy transition tool place yesterday, Thursday 23 March, in Rovereto at Progetto Manifattura.

The event “Euregio Smart Mobility & Energy” was organised by Trentino Sviluppo and the Standortagentur Tirol, in collaboration with the Enterprise Europe Network, to strengthen the entrepreneurial culture and the exchange of best practices among different EU countries.  

The seminar saw the participation of seven South Tyrolean companies and fifteen from Trentino-Alto Adige, which dealt with numerous topics such as electric cars, smart railways, hydrogen, and batteries, and developed the basis for future projects of open innovation.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy of FBK was also present with the researchers Edoardo Gino Macchi, Head of Area Battery Technologies, and Matteo Testi, Head of the Area Hydrogen Technologies. The research activities realised in Trentino in the field of “New technologies for the decarbonisation of mobility and energy systems: focus on batteries and hydrogen" have been presented.

In relation to the initiative, the Assessor for Economic Development, research and work Achille Spinelli commented: "Over the last year, the Province has invested significant amounts of money to modernize public transport and replace the vehicle fleet with innovative models with low environmental impact and has gladly taken up the European challenge to create a Hydrogen Valley in abandoned industrial areas. Furthermore, new hydrogen research spaces are in preparation in Rovereto for the SE Center of the Kessler Foundation. But for the success of these initiatives, it is necessary to build supply chains, in which small and medium-sized enterprises are also direct protagonists alongside the big players. My hope, therefore, is that this is only the first of many other collaboration opportunities among companies from the different Euregio territories".

See the agenda of the event at this link.

Read the entire press release at this link (in Italian): https://trentinosviluppo.it/it/ELE0017232/mobilita-intelligente-ed-energie-pulite-nelleuregio-oggi-lincontro-a-rovereto

and here: https://www.ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it/Comunicati/Mobilita-intelligente-ed-energie-pulite-nell-Euregio-oggi-l-incontro-a-Rovereto 

[The above press release is a translation of the Italian versions released by Trentino Sviluppo and the Autonomous Province of Trento (see link above). Photos taken from the archive of Trentino Sviluppo]

“We, undersigned stakeholders, hereby join efforts to support and accelerate the research, development, demonstration and deployment of Hydrogen Valleys and the related infrastructure […] to achieve the targets set in the European Hydrogen Strategy and REPowerEU and pave the way towards a climate-neutral, circular, competitive, and energy-secure economy in Europe.”

This sentence concludes the Joint Declaration on Hydrogen Valleys signed on 1 March 2023 by the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel (on behalf of the European Commission), the CEO of Hydrogen Europe Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, the President of Hydrogen Europe Research Luigi Crema and the co-leader of S3 European Hydrogen Valleys Partnership Tjisse Stelpstra.

The document entitled “Moving the hydrogen economy from niche to scale” strengthens the EU strategy on hydrogen adopted by the EU Commission in 2020, and indicates the commitment of the European hydrogen industry, the scientific community, and European regions, together with the European Commission, to collaborate in:

1. Reinforcing the research and innovation agenda for clean hydrogen by providing a strategic framework aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of Hydrogen Valleys,

2. Encouraging continued investments in research and innovation for clean hydrogen technologies including via the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking under Horizon Europe,

3. Maximising funding impact by working together to strengthen synergies,

4. Promoting knowledge sharing and partner matchmaking to build on the existing experience and accelerate successful development of new projects,

5. Stimulating the development of education and training for skills, building on the existing initiatives across the EU, and

6. Spearheading the development of Hydrogen Valleys as steppingstones to incubate and grow a European – and by extension global – hydrogen economy.

The ceremony took place in Brussels, at the Autoworld Museum, during “Repowering EU with Hydrogen Valleys: showcasing innovative solutions”, an high-level event that gathered more than 300 stakeholders from the hydrogen community to show support for the EU research and innovation for a clean energy transition and end dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

As reported in the EU article “Hydrogen Valleys strategic for the autonomy of the EU” the Commissioner Mariya Gabriel stated that “Renewable hydrogen plays a strategic role for our autonomy and we have to accelerate our path to foster a new growth. It is the momentum to move our renewable hydrogen economy from niche to scale”.

On Hydrogen Valleys, Luigi Crema - the President of Hydrogen Europe Research, said: “The European research community directly supports Hydrogen Valleys by helping their replication and their technological improvement (notably through digitalisation and hybridisation with energy communities). We also ensure that lessons learned are transferred, we support the training of the future hydrogen workforce, and we engage with European citizens”.

Read the article on the EU Commission website: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-research-and-innovation-news/hydrogen-valleys-strategic-autonomy-eu-2023-03-01_en

Read the Joint Declaration on Hydrogen Europe Research: https://hydrogeneuroperesearch.eu/joint-declaration-on-hydrogen-valleys-march-1-2023/

Read the news on Hydrogen Europe: https://hydrogeneurope.eu/joint-declaration-signed-on-hydrogen-valleys/

On 27 February 2023, the Hydrogen Italian Association - H2IT met the the Deputy Minister Valentino Valentini. 

The meeting pointed the attention on the hydrogen supply chain in Italy, which is increasingly capable of providing innovative technologies and systems along the entire value chain, and make Italy independent in the energy sector and a leader in the green economy. 

As reported in H2IT press release, a key topic is therefore the development of the hydrogen market in Italy and the need for a national strategy.  The Association proposed to the Deputy Minister the creation of a interministerial table focused on hydrogen, and Valentini confirmed his interest in the topic!

Hydrogen has been identified by the EU Commission as one of the crucial sector  reach the zero-emission target. During the meeting, H2IT underlined how Italy can become a strategic hub with a key role in the European context. This can give a new push to the competitiveness of companies which, however, should be supported by a parallel development in the laws and regulations. A clear and commonly agreed framework is needed to promote investments on the Italian territory. 

The Association reports that the Deputy Minister underlined the importance of synergies between the European policies on energy and the strengths of the Italian system, in order to maximise the investments done. 

Luigi Crema, Vice President of Hydrogen Italian Association, states that "H2IT reaffirms its support of the institutions in outlining the strategic initiative to support the development of the Italian supply chain. We will continue to offer our experience and knowledge of the sector to the Government and to all the institutions that, like us, believe in this fundamental energy carrier"

Read the press release on H2IT website (in Italian): https://www.h2it.it/h2it-ha-incontrato-il-viceministro-delle-imprese-e-made-in-italy-valentino-valentini/ 

Read the article of Quotidiano Energia (in Italian): https://www.quotidianoenergia.it/module/news/page/entry/id/488979/h2it-creare-un-tavolo-interministeriale-sullidrogeno

Read the article of HydroNews (in Italian): https://hydronews.it/h2it-incontra-il-viceministro-valentini-imprese-e-made-in-italy-e-propone-un-tavolo-interministeriale-sullidrogeno/

By 2035, gasoline and diesel vehicles should disappear from the automotive market. This is the target set by the EU Commission for the decarbonisation of the transport sector. 

In the interview given to "L'Adige", Edoardo Macchi states that it is "an ambitious date, but the plan is feasible".

The researcher and Head of the Battery Technologies Area at the Centre for Sustainable Energy of FBK deals with the development of innovative batteries for mobility and stationary applications. Edoardo Gino Macchi underlines the importance of incentives to support companies and citizens in the transition, while a change of skills will be needed in the manufacturing sector where batteries are the cornerstone of this revolution. 

An important element outlined by the researcher is the lack of materials in Europe, which does not allow us to be independent from Asian countries, such as China. This is the reason for the creation of the two Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on Batteries which aim at supporting the development of a competitive, innovative and sustainable battery value chain in the EU. 

The Head of the Battery Technologies Area stated that with the gradual increase of renewable energy, it will be a must to have batteries capable of long-duration storage such as flow batteries and other technologies (lithium-ion batteries are not the best solution for durations greater than 6 hours). 

Another important topic regards the use of lithium-ion batteries batteries in the mobility sector. It is fundamental to give them a second life at the end of their use in vehicles. The batteries can be re-used for the stationary storage allowing a complete usage of the batteries and reducing their environmental impact. The Centre for Sustainable Energy is working on projects related to the second-life and recycling, which is a fundamental topic for Europe that is lacking precious metals used in Li-ion batteries and would therefore be less dependent on other countries. 

Here, it is possible to read the entire article (in Italian).

(v.l.) Luigi Crema, HER’s first Italian president, commented on the appointment that officially took place this morning:
“It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome my appointment as president of Hydrogen Europe Research. It is an honor to provide support to the European program of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership by representing our members who have placed their trust in me. This appointment comes at a very important time for the hydrogen sector, which is emerging as a real prospect for a new market between now and the next few years. I will make every effort to bring attention, at the European level, to the need to think about the future and the next technologies, but also to the need to continue to team up with and systematize the various stakeholders in the field of industry, politics and business, to accelerate the grounding of what has been done so far in a timely manner. This is also an important achievement for the national context, as well as for the visibility that FBK will have at the European and global level.”

This morning's appointment concerns the most important European research organization in the field of hydrogen. Comprising more than 130 international universities and research centers, Hydrogen Europe Research manages under the Clean Hydrogen Partnership – along with Hydrogen Europe (for the industrial sector) and the European Commission – a €1.2 billion program.