On 22–23 January, hydrogen took centre stage as over 200 participants from all corners of the world gathered at the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys Conference to discuss our common path towards a sustainable future.

What are the drivers and barriers for clean hydrogen development? What can be done best on a Nordic scale to ensure a rapid development of hydrogen value chains? How do we strengthen the ties between different although mutually concerned actors? And, last but not least, how do we make sure no one gets left behind in the process? These were some of the critical questions asked during the conference and after two days of insightful discussions, we’ve also uncovered some of the answers.

“A lot of messages were delivered across academic fields and industrial interests, but the main talking point was social acceptance and local hydrogen valley cooperation,” says Lise Nielson, Senior Adviser, Nordic Energy Research, and responsible for the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys as Energy Hubs Programme that holds the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys Conference.

“I am very happy to have experienced such a high level of participatory engagement, where everybody seemed to take good advantage of the networking opportunities. The final workshop delivered some profound insights and pinpointed the next steps to be taken for industries, researchers and municipalities. The core sentiment is a positive team spirit to go hand in hand with a continued Nordic cooperation.”

The preparatory work is done – now it’s time to act

At the conference, there was a broad consensus that clean hydrogen is an essential component in moving away from fossil fuels and towards a green transition. This was for example emphasised by keynote speakers Mogens Lykketoft, Chairman of the Board, Energinet, Cecilia Wallmark, Director, CH2ESS, and Jón Björn Skúlason, Executive Director, Icelandic New Energy, whose presentations opened the conference.

Mogens Lykketoft, Chairman of the Board, Energinet, and former President of the UN General Assembly.

While Lykketoft gave a Danish perspective on hydrogen value chains, Wallmark shed light on Sweden’s strengths in the context of hydrogen. The conclusion of these national aspects is that the Nordic countries, based on our respective strengths, have a uniquely good foundation to stand on to realise the hydrogen society together. This Nordic potential was pointed out by Skúlason, who also called attention to the role of financing and ministerial dialogue for it to be concretised.

“Through funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers and Nordic Energy Research, we are currently realising a hydrogen valley in Iceland. The communication and will to cooperate on clean hydrogen is great between the Nordic countries. R&D activities have been going on for a while, with strong industrial and research based cooperation, making us quite knowledgeable. This preparatory work must however be supported by action. Procurement and deployment is lagging behind, because we need larger funding sources and a more direct political discussion. The problem is that fossil fuel is too cheap for clean hydrogen to compete with. This is why not enough is happening,” said Skúlason.

Lykketoft agreed with this remark.

“The dilemma is whether growth should be market-driven or state-funded. We are experiencing a stalemate due to lack of decisions from governments, who need to be willing to take risks investing in clean hydrogen development so that the necessary economical infrastructure is provided beforehand,” according to Lykketoft.

Perspectives of researchers, politicians, and indigenous peoples

High-level dialogue and knowledge sharing were issues also addressed during the panel with researchers leading the projects part of the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys as Energy Hubs Programme.

From left: Klaus Skytte, CEO, Nordic Energy Research, Joakim Lundgren, Professor, Luleå University of Technology, Johannes Giehl, Postdoctoral Researcher, Copenhagen Business School, Sigrid Lædre, Senior Research Scientist, SINTEF, Jan Froitzheim, Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, Vigdis Olden, Senior Research Scientist, SINTEF, and Cecilia Wallmark, Director, CH2ESS.

Sigrid Lædre, Senior Research Scientist, SINTEF, and Project Manager of NordicH2ubs, related the lack of political dialogue on hydrogen mentioned by Skúlason and Lykketoft with politicians’ lack of actual knowledge about hydrogen.

“Politicians may have heard about the potential of hydrogen, but they don’t understand how,” said Lædre. “One of the challenges is that no one really knows where we are going. There has to be clearer messages from governments – clearly pointed directions instead of general policies and putting the responsibility on industry.”

In parallel, Vigdis Olden, Senior Research Scientist, SINTEF, and Project Manager of MatHias, raised the importance of researchers also communicating in a manner that translates well to the politicians and the community. And regarding community aspects, the conference agenda included a session dedicated to indigenous views and democratic engagement in the green transition, with Stefan Mikaelsson, representative to Sámedikke, the Sámi Parliament of Sweden, Rasmus Kløcker Larsen, Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute, and Michael Ross, Industrial Research Chair, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon University. They highlighted the importance of listening to native peoples in connection to renewable energy development.

One main takeaway from the panel with Mikaelsson, Kløcker Larsen, and Ross was that there is a lot of untapped knowledge among the Sami about the sustainable use of natural resources. Ross brought up Canadian best practices from working with Inuit communities, which the Nordic region can learn from in relation to Sami points of view.

From left: Stefan Mikaelsson, representative to Sámedikke, the Sámi Parliament of Sweden, Kajsa Paludan, International and Nordic Coordinator at the Swedish Energy Agency, Rasmus Kløcker Larsen, Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute, and Michael Ross, Industrial Research Chair, Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon University.

More collaboration is a win-win situation

Fundamentally, the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys Conference underscored the win-win situation of more collaboration between projects and across relevant fields. Speakers and audience members alike mentioned the value of gaining insight into the work of those whom you might not come into contact with typically. This is especially important because improvements are happening continuously within the science on hydrogen.

“We are always getting closer and closer to solutions,” said Lædre.

According to Joakim Lundgren, Professor, Luleå University of Technology, and Project Manager of H2AMN, there is a lot we can do together.

“We have many things in common but also many things to learn from each other,” he said.

This was reinforced by Johannes Giehl, Postdoctoral Researcher, Copenhagen Business School, who is involved in the NORD_H2ub project, who said that by cooperating, we can take the lead in Europe and show the way forward globally.

As such, the conference offered a platform for cross-cutting disciplines to foster informed decision-making, exchange valuable experiences among Nordic stakeholders, and strengthen our capabilities along hydrogen value chains. This was among others expressed by Anders Lundell, Chairman of the Board, Hydrogen Sweden, and Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir, Professor of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Iceland.

“To accelerate the green energy transition, it’s crucial for businesses and researchers to come together to create cross-sectoral bonds, thereby creating a competence base for implementing hydrogen valleys in the Nordic region. The Nordic Hydrogen Valleys Conference acts as a great meeting place for not only these actors, but all kinds of hydrogen related stakeholders,” said Lundell.

“The Icelandic research community is fairly small and having the opportunity to collaborate and share our work with our Nordic research family is invaluable. Drawing on the collective knowledge presented at the conference we are able provide more comprehensive insights into what is needed to develop hydrogen valleys,” according to Davíðsdóttir.

Nordic Energy Research would like to thank all participants for contribuing to the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys Conference. We look forward to building on the conferred themes and following the progress of the five research projects funded within the Nordic Hydrogen Valleys as Energy Hubs Programme!