Many countries strive to make their economies less emission-intensive, i.e. less harmful to the environment and more sustainable. It is no different in our country, where a great opportunity can be seen in green hydrogen. There is no exaggeration in these words, as Poland is one of the world’s largest hydrogen producers. So how can it be used to benefit each of us? The answer is Hydrogen Valleys in Poland. It’s worth learning more about them.
Hydrogen as a chance for clean energy!
Hydrogen has been talked about more and more often in the context of the decarbonization of the global economy in recent years. This is because hydrogen is a perfect energy carrier and store. This makes it possible to use renewable energy sources even better and more efficiently. It is not a coincidence that many countries see great opportunities in the hydrogen economy. Especially since it improves activities related to the goals set by the European Commission and the Paris Agreement. As a consequence, the hydrogen strategies of some countries are carefully developed to obtain and distribute green hydrogen. It is no different in Poland, as confirmed by the draft Polish Hydrogen Strategy until 2030 with a perspective until 2040. Its main goal is to create five ecosystems of this type throughout the country. They are referred to as Hydrogen Valleys.
Hydrogen Valleys in Poland – what stage are they at?
Hydrogen Valleys are special areas that cover different regions in Poland, where projects related to the use of hydrogen in various sectors are implemented. According to the draft Polish Hydrogen Strategy, it is planned to create at least five such Valleys. Each of them is intended to become a regional center for research, improvement and education in the field of hydrogen technologies.
On a global scale, Europe is a leader in this respect, because most Valleys are in Western, developed countries, such as Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Italy, etc. They are also present in our country, and have been since 2019. This happened during the Polish Conference On Hydrogen Energy and Technology (PCHET 2019), when signatures were placed on the declaration establishing the Pomeranian Hydrogen Valley. Several institutions were responsible for this important step. Among others, the Cluster of Hydrogen Technologies and Clean Coal Technologies, the Pomeranian Voivodeship and the Municipality of Gdynia. The creation of the Pomeranian Hydrogen Valley was the first initiative of its kind. Subsequently, other projects of this type were created – the Subcarpatian Hydrogen Valley in May 2021, the Greater Polish Hydrogen Valley (July 2021), and then the Lower Silesia and Masovian Hydrogen Valley. On January 31, 2022, the Silesian-Lesser Polish Hydrogen Valley was established, an initiative aimed at supporting the development of the hydrogen economy and striving to build a branch of the Silesian-Lesser Polish hydrogen industry.
Hydrogen Valley – what conditions must it meet?
Currently, there are as many as eight Hydrogen Valley projects in Poland, covering almost the entire territory of the country. They play an extremely important role in using private funds for green investments, in line with EU regulations and the provisions of the European Green Deal. There are 5 factors that determine whether we are dealing with a Hydrogen Valley. These have been listed by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. these are:
- The scale of the project, which means that there must be multi-million investments in the valley, at least two;
- A geographically defined area;
- Covering the hydrogen value chain – not only hydrogen production using renewable energy sources, but also its storage and distribution;
- The use of hydrogen in various sectors of the economy (at least in two);
- Conducting a feasibility study, which guarantees that the project has a real chance of success.
To sum up, we see that Hydrogen Valleys are an extremely important and promising opportunity for the development of a sustainable local and national economy. It’s worth keeping your fingers crossed for the success of these initiatives!
Hydrogen changes the future!
Discover how the Central Hydrogen Valley will affect Poland’s energy sector!
