On 9 November, all Flemish research institutes had the opportunity to present their research on hydrogen in a series of short pitches to an audience of industrial partners.
Research inventory
The Flemish hydrogen strategy focusses on economic and innovative development. Flanders has expressed the ambition to become a European leader in the field of hydrogen. One of the pillars of this Flemish hydrogen vision is the strengthening of the Flemish research base in the field and the drawing up of a “research agenda”.
The federal hydrogen strategy aims to position Belgium as an import and transit hub in Europe for green hydrogen, make the country a leader in hydrogen technologies and create a robust hydrogen market. The focus is mainly on infrastructure to import and transport hydrogen in the future.
In this context, WaterstofNet has made a research inventory of the hydrogen-related research currently being carried out at the Flemish knowledge institutions.
Link with industry
In a quick fire round, the institutes presented the themes of their research. Afterwards, the questions of the industrial partners present were addressed in smaller, topical sessions, such as:
Conclusions
Low TRL research is interesting, and there are companies that want to be kept abreast of emerging possibilities and solutions, but in order to be of use to the industry, a vision on valorisation and a valorisation approach needs to be developed from the very inception of the research project, as is the case with the Moonshot projects. Crucially, the business case needs to include the LCA/TEA and the service life span of the materials, right from the lower TRL onwards.
There is a great need for more demonstration projects. The industry has expressed the need for retrofit options and transition solutions. Linking up with start-ups and with technology companies is of particular benefit, which fits right in with the Catalisti mission.
Research inventory
The Flemish hydrogen strategy focusses on economic and innovative development. Flanders has expressed the ambition to become a European leader in the field of hydrogen. One of the pillars of this Flemish hydrogen vision is the strengthening of the Flemish research base in the field and the drawing up of a “research agenda”.
The federal hydrogen strategy aims to position Belgium as an import and transit hub in Europe for green hydrogen, make the country a leader in hydrogen technologies and create a robust hydrogen market. The focus is mainly on infrastructure to import and transport hydrogen in the future.
In this context, WaterstofNet has made a research inventory of the hydrogen-related research currently being carried out at the Flemish knowledge institutions.
Link with industry
In a quick fire round, the institutes presented the themes of their research. Afterwards, the questions of the industrial partners present were addressed in smaller, topical sessions, such as:
- Production of hydrogen and e-fuels
- Transport and storage of hydrogen
- Use of hydrogen in engines and fuel cells
- Interaction hydrogen/materials and safety
- Overarching themes: techno-economic modeling, LCA
Conclusions
Low TRL research is interesting, and there are companies that want to be kept abreast of emerging possibilities and solutions, but in order to be of use to the industry, a vision on valorisation and a valorisation approach needs to be developed from the very inception of the research project, as is the case with the Moonshot projects. Crucially, the business case needs to include the LCA/TEA and the service life span of the materials, right from the lower TRL onwards.
There is a great need for more demonstration projects. The industry has expressed the need for retrofit options and transition solutions. Linking up with start-ups and with technology companies is of particular benefit, which fits right in with the Catalisti mission.
For more information about this article, please contact our colleagues at Catalisti (pit@catalisti.be).