HYDROGENi – Norwegian centre for hydrogen and ammonia research and innovation

HYDROGENi, the Norwegian research and innovation centre for hydrogen and ammonia, will spearhead research and innovations needed to fulfil the 2030 and 2050 visions of the Norwegian hydrogen roadmap. This extends to a future energy system incorporating the production of hydrogen (H2) from renewables and from natural gas with CCS, and the transport, storage and distribution of H2 in gaseous and liquid form and as ammonia (NH3) with corresponding end use. This will pave the road for H2 and H2 carriers also in hard-to-abate sectors. There are four Research Areas: Cost-efficient and scalable production; Transport and storage; End-use technologies; Safety and material integrity. The Integrating Activity comprises value chain- and sustainability assessments and industry-relevant user cases to bridge research and innovation with applications. The HYDROGENi consortium assembles industry leaders in their respective fields. The research will be carried out in collaboration with a team of 50 leading industrial actors that cover the whole H2/NH3 value chain, including major energy companies, industry and power companies, vendors, maritime operators, start-ups and consultancies. This year, the Centre welcomed three new partners to the Consortium: the Norwegian Coastal Administration, the Petroleum directorate and RENERGY, Renewable Energy Cluster. In its first full year of operation the activities in all the Research Areas and the Integrating Activity have had a good start, the first results and research papers are being published from the Centre and presented at international conferences. The first User case was established this year, focusing on green hydrogen production at Herøya in the south of Norway. Highlights from the Centre activities, both from researchers and industry partners, have been presented in two Consortium meetings in 2023. The first 14 PhD and Postdoc candidates started their research projects in 2023. A total of 35 PhD/Postdoc candidates will be educated through the HYDROGENi Centre. The PhD education programme has the objective of training candidates to be independent researchers who can work at an international level in cooperation with Norwegian and international research groups and industry. The HYDROGENi Scientific Committee was also established this year, comprising of external international experts in various part of the H2 value chain and cross-cutting aspects such as safety. The committee will provide scientific strategic advice for instance on new strands and frontiers of research within hydrogen and ammonia value chains. HYDROGENi promotes societal engagement through clear dissemination, provides open and science-based knowledge as input to policy design for the introduction and use of various H2 technologies, and raise public awareness to the role of H2 in the green energy transition. In addition to disseminating result at scientific conferences, HYDROGENi participates in important events such as Arendalsuka, Forskernatt and the EU Hydrogen week. Furthermore, HYDROGENi contributes to establishing an Implementation Working Group (IWG) on green hydrogen within the EU Strategic Energy Technology (SET) plan. In this work we are supporting the government (MPE) together with FME HyValue. HYDROGENi has an active dialogue and collaboration with FME HyValue. The two FME Centres on hydrogen have synergies and complement each other’s research programmes. This year, the centres co-hosted a workshop on regulatory frameworks and standards for hydrogen and ammonia value-chains in Norway. HYDROGENi has been instrumental in establishing Hydrogen Valley Mid-Norway. This hydrogen valley has been endorsed by Mission Innovation and the EU platform for hydrogen valleys and was launched in April 2023. We are pursuing this initiative to mature the concept, Hydrogen Valley Mid -Norway connects Hydrogenknutepunktsprosjekter, Pilot-E projects and FME with the European framework programme (Horizon Europe) and the global Mission Innovation hydrogen valleys.

HYDROGENi, the Norwegian research and innovation centre for hydrogen and ammonia, will spearhead research and innovations needed to fulfil the 2030 and 2050 visions of the Norwegian hydrogen roadmap. This extends to a future energy system incorporating the production of hydrogen (H2) from renewables and from natural gas with CCS, and the transport, storage and distribution of H2 in gaseous and liquid form and as ammonia (NH3) with corresponding end use. This will pave the way for H2 and H2 carriers also in hard-to-abate sectors. There will be four research areas: Cost-efficient and scalable production; Transport and storage; End-use technologies; Safety and material integrity. An Integrating Activity will comprise value chain- and sustainability assessments and industry-relevant user cases to bridge research and innovation with applications. The HYDROGENi consortium comprises leaders in their respective fields. The research will be carried out in collaboration with a team of 50 leading industry actors that cover the whole H2/NH3 value chain, including major energy companies, industry and power companies, vendors, maritime operators, start-ups and consultancies. 35 PhDs/postdocs and 100 MSc/BSc will be educated. Collaboration with 27 international R&D institutions will further stimulate high-impact research. The HYDROGENi research is expected to result in at least 50 innovations that will provide the basis for new skilled jobs in sustainable businesses in Norway, enable new and existing industry to exploit the vast potential for increased exports of technology, solutions and energy carriers, and contribute to a robust and flexible Norwegian H2 infrastructure. Furthermore, HYDROGENi will promote societal engagement through clear dissemination, provide open and science-based knowledge as input to policy design for the introduction and use of various H2 technologies, and raise public awareness to the role of H2 in the green energy transition.