Following the success of the digital ExCo meeting in June, the 61^st ExCo of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Technology Collaboration Programme on Advanced Fuel Cells (AFC TCP) was again organized as web conference, during November 11-12 2020. Initially, it was planned to be held in Zagreb, Croatia. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the Croatian ExCo delegate invited the ExCo members to a digital tour through Zagreb and Croatia in which the landmarks and sites, as well as the culture, was presented.

28 participants were present during this meeting, including 25 ExCo members from Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the US.

On September 3, the French Government presented a €100 billion recovery plan to support economic activity and job creation. The recovery plan is designed to sustain the growth potential of the French economy. It will support French companies and industries’ competitiveness and invest in technologies to maintain France among the most competitive and innovative countries. It will also pave the way for the French economy of 2030, which will be greener given the emergency to speed up the ecological transition.

The €100 billion recovery plan relies on three pillars: green transition, competitiveness and social and territorial cohesion.

Green transition: €30 billion will be allocated to the green transition, for investments in energy performance renovations for buildings, in “green” infrastructure and mobility, to reduce the carbon-intensity of manufacturing processes, and in the development of new green technologies (hydrogen and fuel cells, biofuels, recycling). The objective is to accelerate the green transition of the French economy so that it becomes more sustainable and more respectful of our natural resources while achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The subject Heavy-Duty Vehicles Application (HDVA) has raised a lot of attention since the 57^th ExCo meeting held in Linz, Austria. Heavy-duty vehicles only account for a very small percentage of the total vehicle stock but are responsible for more than 80% of the total vehicle Nox and PM emissions.

The objective of this subtask is to monitor the progress and analyze the potential contribution of fuel cells in heavy-duty transport, to promote commercialization and the further development of fuel cell applications in heavy-duty transport.

We are looking forward to welcome more and new keyplayers from our member countries and beyond to take part in the work of this subtask. For more information or if you are interested in joining the subtask please contact Mrs Yali Zheng (SAE China) directly.

A Team of VTT experts on hydrogen and fuel cells produced a report focusing on the outlook for low-carbon H2 production, H2 utilization for green chemicals and fuels, as well as storage, transport and end-use in the next 10 years in Finland.

The report gives not only an overview of the situation in Finland but also summarizes the hydrogen consumption and the regulatory framework for hydrogen in the EU.

The report is available here

On 10 June 2020, the National Hydrogen Strategy for Germany was approved. The adoption of the final draft paves the way for 38 domestic measures which will also ensure that Germany plays a pioneering role in the development and export of hydrogen technologies internationally.

The measures set out in the Strategy are designed to reduce the costs of developing and using hydrogen technologies so that global markets for hydrogen can be created. Can Samsun presented the key points in his country update of Germany

Further information

• Joint press release: Securing a global leadership role on hydrogen technologies: Federal Government adopts National Hydrogen Strategy and adopts National Hydrogen Council
• Brochure by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy: The National Hydrogen Strategy
• Article by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy: Regulatory sandboxes as experimental areas for new energy technologies
• Article by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy: How much are we hitting the gas?

At his policy speech on October, 28, the Japanese Prime Minister stated to realize a green society and that by 2050, Japan will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero:

My administration will devote itself to the greatest possible extent to bring about a green society while focusing on a virtuous cycle of the economy and the environment as a pillar of our growth strategy.

We hereby declare that by 2050 Japan will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero, that is, to realize a carbon-neutral, decarbonized society.

Addressing climate change is no longer a constraint on economic growth. We need to adjust our mindset to a paradigm shift that proactive climate change measures bring transformation of industrial structures as well as our economy and society, leading to dynamic economic growth.

The key here is revolutionary innovations, such as next-generation solar cells and carbon recycling. We will accelerate research and development aimed at realizing utilization of such technologies in society. We will make our utmost efforts in this area, such as establishing a forum for the national and local governments to conduct a review towards realizing a decarbonized society, while making green investment more common through the full mobilization of regulatory reforms and other policy measures. Also, we will advance green transformation more efficiently and effectively through digital transformation in fields related to the environment. We will lead the green industry globally and realize a virtuous cycle of the economy and the environment.

We will establish a stable supply of energy by thoroughly conserving energy and introducing renewable energies to the greatest possible extent, as well as by advancing our nuclear energy policy with the highest priority on safety. We will also drastically change our longstanding policies on coal-fired power generation.

The policy speech is available here.

To achieve climate neutrality no later than 2050, the Spanish Government has approved the country’s Hydrogen Roadmap: a commitment to renewable hydrogen in October.

This Hydrogen Roadmap aims to identify the challenges and opportunities for the full development of renewable hydrogen in Spain, providing a series of measures aimed at boosting investment action, taking advantage of the European consensus on the role that this energy sector should play in the context of green recovery.

In particular, Vision 2030 foresees an installed capacity of 4 GW electrolysers and a series of milestones in the industrial, mobility and electricity sectors, for the period 2020-2030. However, as an intermediate milestone to reach the 4 GW target, it is estimated that by 2024 it would be possible to have an installed capacity of electrolysers of between 300 and 600 MW.

The Roadmap will be updated every three years, based on the evaluation of progress towards the achievement of the Vision 2030 objectives, the degree of implementation of the measures and the quantification of their impact. Our Spanish ExCo delegate from Centro Nacional del Hidrógeno (CNH2) will keep informing us about the Roadmap in the future.

More information can be found here.