But is hydrogen a chimera or a real opportunity? According to Enea (national agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development) this is a great opportunity: in Italy the development of a hydrogen supply chain could create up to 500,000 new jobs in the next 30 years, focusing on technological neutrality, enhancement of different technologies and research and innovation as strategic assets. This is what emerges from the special ENEA Planet Hydrogen, online from today on the website eai.enea.it, a journey-investigation among the protagonists of the sector, including the EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation Marya Gabriel, the President of the Technical Group of Confindustria for energy Aurelio Regina, the managing directors of Enel Francesco Starace, of Eni Claudio Descalzi, of Snam Marco Alverà and of RSE Maurizio Delfanti, the General Director for industrial policy, innovation and SMEs of the Ministry of Development Economico, Mario Fiorentino, the vice president of H2IT Luigi Crema and the Managing Partner and CEO of The European House – Ambrosetti, Valerio De Molli.
Through articles and interviews, the magazine explores the opportunities, perspectives and current limits of this vector; together with the Special, a guide on the most recent technologies and projects developed by ENEA in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells is available on the website www.eai.enea.it.
“ENEA has been in the hydrogen sector for over 30 years, with research, development and testing at 360 degrees, thanks to highly advanced professionalism and infrastructures that allow it to act as a ‘hinge’ between laboratories and industry”, explains the Director of the Technology Department Energy and Renewable Sources of ENEA, Giorgio Graditi. “An example is the Hydrogen Valley – he adds – a 14 million euro project funded by the Ministry of Economic Development as part of the Mission Innovation initiative, to create a set of high-tech infrastructures in the ENEA Casaccia Research Center that act as a technological incubator. for the various links in the hydrogen supply chain and offer opportunities for development, innovation and advanced services to companies “.
Ample space is given to the strategies of the United States, Japan, Australia – but also of Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands – and in the context of the Italian scenario the challenges and obstacles to the creation of a supply chain and the conquest of spaces and competitiveness. To date, there are sectors in our country that are more mature and more ready from a technological point of view, while others require further efforts. Above all, the Speciale points out, the capacity and offer of innovation and technological development of the research world must be combined with the demand for innovation and closure of the production chain cycles.
“Italy can strategically position itself along the entire hydrogen value chain (production, transport, logistics, distribution, storage, end uses) thanks to a great manufacturing tradition, know-how and research centers of excellence, as well as to an ideal geographical location to become the future European and Mediterranean hub on the hydrogen front ”, concludes Graditi.
The special collaborated with Laurent Antoni, president of Hydrogen Europe, the European association of research organizations on fuel cell and hydrogen, Sunita Satyapal, Director of the Technologies Office for hydrogen and fuel cells of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Ken Baldwin, Director of the Energy Change Institute of the Australian National University, Noboru Hashimoto of Panasonic Yamanashi University in Japan, Marcello Capra of the Ministry of Energy Transition, Antonino Aricò, Director of the CNR Institute of Advanced Energy Technologies, Andrea Bombardi, Executive Vice President and Antonio Lucci, Senior Business Development Manager of RINA.