Hydrogen Europe Research
Hydrogen Europe Research (HER) is an international non–profit association composed of 91 universities and Research & Technology Organisations (RTO) from 26 countries all over Europe and beyond. Our members are active within the European hydrogen and fuel cell sector.
Our activities
HER is a partner in the European Joint Undertaking on Hydrogen
HER is one of the three participants of the European Joint Undertaking (JU) on Hydrogen, alongside its industry counterpart Hydrogen Europe (HE) and the European Commission. From 2008 to 2020, the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen JUs (FCH JU & FCH 2 JU) have been unique public private partnerships supporting Research, Technological development and Demonstration (RTD) activities in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies in Europe. HER will continue to participate in the future Institutionalised European Partnership (IEP) on hydrogen, entitled Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (CH JU), from 2021 to 2027.
HER’s members contribute to the preparation of the Clean Hydrogen JU’s Multi-Annual and Annual funding priorities. In cooperation with Industry, they have the unique possibility to shape the focus of the Programme. Concretely, HER members participate in the different Technical Committees and roadmaps shared with HE where annual strategic priorities are discussed and topics for future Calls for proposals are drafted. The Technical Committees and roadmaps are included in the three pillars of the JU (Pillar 1: Hydrogen production; Pillar 2: Hydrogen storage, transport and distribution; Pillar 3, Hydrogen end-uses) and listed below.
In collaboration with the European Commission, this work contributes to the development of the Annual Work Plans which translates into public Calls for proposals. This is a great opportunity for any entity in the sector that desires to have an impact on the development of hydrogen across Europe.
HER follows and discusses European policies with its members
In February 2021, HER launched its own policy Working Group to discuss policy developments at European-level which could impact the activities of its members. The purpose of this group is to promote the voice of the European scientific community on the European political stage, focusing on research and innovation in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells. From the expertise and shared knowledge of its members in this field, HER wishes to become a reference point for European politicians and policy-makers. We welcome any opportunity to present the vision of our membership, with the objective to address the bottlenecks for research and strive for the development of a hydrogen economy in order to achieve the EU’s sustainability and climate objectives.
HER wishes to create a hydrogen skills agenda
Connected to a membership base strongly involved in skills and trainings, HER considers the topic as an essential aspect of the development of a hydrogen economy. Our implication as a partner in the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Observatory led us to work on the identification of all kind of trainings relevant to the field, and of materials publicly available following EU projects. Furthermore, we recently launched together with HE an ad-hoc Working Group on skills to discuss these problematics and engage with actors from all the value chain.
Our Organisation
The General Assembly is the highest organ of the Association. It determines the general policy of the Association and has all powers needed for the realisation of the Association’s objectives. General Assembly meetings are held at least twice a year with all members.
The Executive Board manages the day-to-day business of the association. There are 10 elected Board members: the President, the Vice-President and Treasurer, the Chair for External Affairs and 7 Technical Committee (TC) leaders following the activities of each TCs in the JU. They are elected for a two-years mandate and the last elections took place in July 2020. The Board meets monthly to discuss the activities of the association.
The Board is supported in its tasks by a Secretariat of two full-time employees based in Brussels. The Secretariat follows and organises the activities of the association.
To join us
Full members
Organisations eligible to join HER as Full Member must be actively involved in the hydrogen and fuel cells sector and have their seat and main administration in a Member State of the European Union (EU), in a State party to the European Economic Area Agreement (EEA), or in an Associated Country to the European research and innovation framework programme.
The entities must meet the following criteria:
a) Non-profit organisation not linked by affiliation or substantial contractual links to industry (including companies represented in the Industry Grouping, HE);
and/or
b) Public research organisation or university; for the purpose of this provision the term “public” means organisations funded by national or local governments at a rate of at least 33 % of their expenses for the purpose of science, education or research for the public benefit.
The annual membership fee for full members is €4,500 per year.
Associate members
A status of Associate Member also exists for:
- Associations of research organisations complying with the criteria listed for full members and sharing the objective and scope of activities of Hydrogen Europe Research;
- Organisations outside the geographic range defined for full members but complying with the criteria to be member and sharing the objective and scope of activities of Hydrogen Europe Research.
The rights of associate members are limited. To know more about this, please contact the Secretariat.
The annual membership fee for full members is €1,000 per year.
Procedure
The procedure for obtaining HER membership starts with the submission of a filled application form via e-mail (the original hard copy can later be sent by post). Please note that the legal representative of your institution has to sign the application form, a signature by the head of your department or institute might therefore not be sufficient.
After submitting the application, Hydrogen Europe Research’s members have to vote on accepting you as a member. This may take place during our General Assembly meetings that are held twice a year, or organised via distance voting, if enough applications have been received.
We encourage you to first contact the Secretariat before initiating an application process. You can contact us at the following address: secretariat[at]hydrogeneuroperesearch.eu.
Fit for 55: Hydrogen is the H2ero Net Zero allowing to meet the climate objectives on time
Brussels, 13 June 2021. The Fit for 55 Package must be a fit for purpose framework that delivers an effective and future-proof achievement of the EU’s climate targets. Yet, this needs to be in line with affordability and societal acceptance.
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General of Hydrogen Europe, said: “Fit for 55 marks the dawn of a new era and hydrogen sets the course for a new paradigm. Time is precious for the EU to reach its ambitious emission reduction objectives in just ten years. It must start walking the talk now, and hydrogen gives the Fit for 55 initiatives a major push to achieve the EU’s climate objectives on time.”
Developing a clean hydrogen economy will be instrumental in making the Fit for 55 Package a success as it builds the basis for an accelerated and cost-efficient paradigm shift towards climate friendly technologies especially such as renewable energies. Hydrogen marks the dawn of a new era where coal, oil and also gas can be replaced by hydrogen being multitalented as a renewably produced energy vector, fuel and chemical feedstock. This is why hydrogen is called the “H2ero Net Zero” enabling many tasks with regards to the decarbonization of our lives.
The Fit for 55 package proves that hydrogen is moving from an afterthought to a central pillar of the energy system. It has strong potential to become a solution to many of the Fit for 55 proposals as it unleashes the potential of renewables, ensures energy system efficiency, and enables a carbon-neutral transport system.
The rapid development of hydrogen is not only important for meeting the EU’s climate objectives but also for preserving and enhancing the EU’s industrial and economic competitiveness. With projects across the whole continent, the EU is well placed to become the birthplace of a global hydrogen economy denominated in Euro currency.
Read Hydrogen Europe views on:
- Fit for 55 Package
- Different energy carriers require separate systems of guarantees of origin
- A workable approach to additionality, geographic and temporal correlation is key to the achievement of the EU Hydrogen Strategy
- Unlocking the potential of clean mobility: the revision of CO2 emission standards for cars and vans
- Hydrogen Act: Towards the Creation of the European Hydrogen Economy
July 2021
Unlocking the potential of clean mobility: the revision of CO2 emission standards for cars and vans
Hydrogen Europe considers the revision of the Regulation setting CO₂ emission performance standards for new passenger cars and new light commercial vehicles to be a key legislative initiative to help the EU deliver upon its 2030 climate targets and to reinforce its global leadership in zero-emission vehicles, particularly hydrogen fuel cell ones.
In our paper we call for:
- Setting ambitious and appropriate CO2 standards
- An ambitious regulatory framework based on synergies to unlock hydrogen vehicles uptake
- Accurately measuring emissions and recognising the role of low carbon/renewable fuels
- System efficiency and technology neutrality as underlying principles for a revised regulation
- Allocating excess emissions premiums for the clean transition of the automotive industry
July 2021
Different Energy Carriers Require Separate Systems Of Guarantees Of Origin
Hydrogen Europe considers the imminent review of the Renewable Energy Directive should focus on renewable energy only. It should also focus on accountability and transparency. As such, the revision must address the shortcomings of the existing Guarantees of Origin (GO) system and redesign it along the following 5 key principles: Traceability, Trackability, Tradability, Transparency and Trustworthiness.
Key recommendations
- Create a distinct hydrogen GO, separate from electricity and gas.
- Encourage the use of GOs in addition to PPAs to prove the renewable character and CO2 intensity of the electricity procured for the production of renewable hydrogen.
- Initiate the development of a global system for Hydrogen Guarantees of Origin (HGOs), with track-and-trace and auditing functionality.
- Set clear ground rules that avoid false or misleading claims. Enable the cancellation of H2 GOs and the issuance of a natural gas GO when physical volumes are blended.
June 2021
H2eroNetZero
Hydrogen Europe’s position paper on Fit for 55 package
- Unleash the potential of renewables;
- Bring “efficiency” to the energy “system” of the future;
- Enable a carbon neutral transport system.