HyTrEc aimed to support the validation, promotion and adoption of innovative hydrogen technologies across the North Sea Region and enhance the region’s economic competitiveness within the transport and associated energy sectors.

The project provided a platform to support the collaborative development of strategy and initiatives (at regional, supra-regional and transnational level) and that informed and shaped the development of infrastructure, technology, skills and financial instruments to support the application of hydrogen based technologies across the North Sea Region.

Aim

The Hydrogen Transport Economy for the North Sea Region (HyTrEc) worked with partners from the UK, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

The aim of the project was to work together on

• regional accessibility strategies
• environmentally responsible energy production practices
• developing different modes of transport
• transnational transport corridors
• efficient and effective logistics solutions
• sustainable growth solutions

Background

Oil and gas technologies have dominated the energy/transport sector and enjoyed the benefits of scale effects, and of on-going technological improvement/optimization. In what is effectively a monopoly situation, it is difficult to develop less mature alternative technology solutions. This is particularly true of hydrogen technologies, which if used in association with fuel cells, could replace the conventional duo formed by hydrocarbons/combustion systems (engines, turbines, etc.) delivering significant economic and environmental benefits including a significant reduction in GHG emissions/pollution in urban areas and decreasing energy dependency on oil. 

Governments (National/Regional/Local) across the North Sea Region have been separately developing strategies/plans and implementing initiatives designed to support R&TD and pilot/demonstrate the potential of hydrogen-based technologies. These efforts are largely disjointed and generally designed to support the development of indigenous (national) industry/sectors that can compete with other advanced economies (e.g. USA). 

Across the North Sea Region there are significant national variations, not only as regards policy vis-a-vis support for indigenous industry, but also in how strategy/plans (at local, sub-regional/regional level) are developed to enable a transition from energy/transport systems dependent upon and with infrastructure geared to fossil fuels to a hydrogen based alternative and support regional accessibility. Strategy and policy commitments now vary significantly across the North Sea Region increasing the likelihood that significant disparities will emerge across the region as regards the development of internationally competitive, environmentally sustainable, energy and transport sector. 

It is imperative that the North Sea Region marshal its efforts as an internationally competitive economic bloc, however, the absence of structures or platforms from which to share knowledge, experience and support the collaborative development of policy, strategy and plans is inhibiting development and is likely foster conditions in which largely dislocated and fragmented solutions are likely to emerge across the NSR. This is in stark contrast to, for example, the USA where the Department Of Energy is able to guide and shape the development (via stimulus packages and associated measures) of innovative, interoperable technologies and infrastructure on a national scale. 

• A Hydrogen Transport Stakeholder Group to identify barriers hindering access to and adoption of innovative hydrogen technologies, and develop strategies/initiatives to create a fully functioning North Sea Region hydrogen corridor
• A transnational pilot study to improve the accessibility and connectivity of existing regional hydrogen corridors and support the development and deployment of hydrogen supply chain infrastructure in urban and rural settings
• A novel, portable hydrogen refuelling station demonstrator
• A North Sea Region education forum to identify skills gaps and develop training solutions including two modular training programmes concerned with the design of infrastructure and hydrogen safety
• Access to public/private sector financial instruments supporting the development of hydrogen technology via an annual innovation forum, which will provide a platform supporting the design/development of new financial instruments (including cross-regional/pan-european)
• Proven support to the development of SME clusters to deliver new hydrogen turnkey infrastructure solutions