The article is taken from EU press release.
„The strategies adopted today reinforce Europe's green agreement and green renewal and set our clear direction on the path to eliminating carbon emissions in our economy by 2050. The new hydrogen economy can be a driving force to help us overcome the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the development and implementation of a clean hydrogen value chain, Europe will become a world innovator and maintain its leading position in the field of clean technologies.“
Frans Timmermans, July 8 .2020
The strategy will provide a framework for the transition to green energy. In the current model, where energy consumption in transport, industry, heating and building management takes place in separate "forces", each with its own value chains, rules, planning, separate infrastructure and operation, we will not be able to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. in a cost-effective way. Changes in the cost of innovative solutions must therefore be incorporated into the way our energy system works. There is a need to create new links between sectors and to take advantage of technological progress. The integration of the energy system means that the system is planned and operated as a whole, connecting different energy carriers, infrastructures and consumption sectors. Such an interconnected and flexible system will be more efficient and lower costs for people. For example, it will be a system in which electricity used to power European cars could come from solar panels on our roofs, while our buildings would receive heat from a nearby factory powered by pure hydrogen produced from offshore wind energy.
In an integrated energy system, hydrogen can support the decarbonisation of industry, transport, electricity generation and supply to buildings across Europe. The EU's hydrogen strategy addresses how to put this potential into practice through investment, regulation, market making and research and innovation. Hydrogen can be used in sectors that are not suitable for electrification and stored to balance variable renewable energy flows. . However, this can only be achieved through coordinated action by the public and private sectors at EU level. The priority is to expand the use of hydrogen from renewable sources produced mainly from wind and solar energy. However, in the short and medium term, other forms of low-carbon hydrogen are needed to rapidly reduce emissions and support the development of a viable market.
In order to help achieve the objectives of the Hydrogen Strategy, the Commission is today setting up, in cooperation with industry leaders, civil society representatives, national and regional ministers and the European Investment Bank, European Pure Hydrogen Alliance. The Alliance will set up an investment portal for expanding production and support the demand for pure hydrogen in the EU. In order to focus support on the cleanest available technologies, the Commission will develop common standards, terminology and carbon-cycle certification based on existing climate and energy legislation and in line with the EU's sustainable investment taxonomy. The Commission will propose policy and regulatory measures such as a guarantee for investors, to facilitate the use of hydrogen, support the necessary infrastructures and logistics networks, adapt infrastructure planning tools and support investment, in particular from the "NextGenerationEU" recovery plan.