Green Hydrogen Featured In First Nationwide Hydrogen Valley – CleanTechnica

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The Baltic nation of Estonia has launched an ambitious 100% renewable energy goal for 2030. As part of that goal, energy industry stakeholders plan to showcase the entire country as the world’s first nationwide, integrated “hydrogen valley” hub, with a focus on green hydrogen.

World’s First Nationwide Hydrogen Valley

I’ll be in the Estonian city of Talinn later this week to report on the country’s renewable energy journey for CleanTechnica, including site visits and interviews with local startups.*  In the meantime, let’s take a look at the national Hydrogen Valley Estonia plan as an indication of how fast, and how far, the energy transition can progress when public policy and technology act in concert.

Hydrogen poses a significant challenge to global decarbonization. Hydrogen is widely used as a zero emission fuel and industrial input, but the primary source of hydrogen today is natural gas, with coal also playing a role. Extracting hydrogen from the grip of the fossil energy supply chain would be a significant step in the right direction.

The “Hydrogen Valley” concept is beginning to catch hold in Europe, in tandem with the emerging green hydrogen industry. Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced from water or other non-fossil resources. The European Commission has set a goal of establishing at least 50 local hydrogen hubs by 2030. France is one example, with an emphasis on decarbonizing transportation in the Loire Valley with hydrogen fuel cells.

A similar concept is at work in the “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs” program of the US, which seeks to assemble unique assets in different parts of the country to accelerate the domestic hydrogen industry.

Stakeholders in Estonia initially launched the Hydrogen Valley Estonia consortium in 2022, and by 2023 the wheels were in motion. “Alexela, Eesti Energia, the Port of Tallinn, the University of Tartu and the Estonian Hydrogen Association have today signed an agreement to establish Hydrogen Valley Estonia to accelerate the vigorous and versatile development of the hydrogen industry and to officially establish the world’s first nationwide Hydrogen Valley,” the partners announced in April last year.

Green Hydrogen Economy Takes Shape

Hydrogen Valley Estonia is starting from scratch, as it launched without any green hydrogen facility yet operating in the country. However, they make the case that cultivating a domestic green hydrogen industry is essential, if the country is to pull its weight in the 2050 European Union carbon neutral goal.

“Boosting development in the field of green hydrogen based on renewable energy is set to play a key role in implementing green transformation and achieving Estonia’s national climate goals. The European Union and Estonia’s ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 has brought about the need to significantly accelerate the development and implementation of green technologies,” Hydrogen Valley Estonia emphasizes.

In June of this year, the organization Invest in Estonia updated the country’s progress on green hydrogen, noting that hydrogen hubs have been established in Tartu, Pärnu, Saaremaa, Ida-Virumaa, and Paldiski. “Their aim is to bring together different stakeholders who want to either develop or support the hydrogen economy, building on regional strengths.”

“This spring, interested parties have met several times in Paldiski. Paldiski is an ideal location for hydrogen production and industrial use, as it has the necessary infrastructure in the form of a harbour, railway, road, gas pipeline, solar and wind farms, and more. Offshore wind farms are also likely to be built on the west coast in the coming years,” Invest in Estonia noted.

The wind energy angle is especially important because it provides a source of zero-emission electricity at night, when demand typically slacks off. Excess electricity from wind farms could be used to produce green hydrogen during off-hours. Invest Estonia draws attention to potential for deploying green hydrogen in the nation’s wood and biomass industries.

More Offshore Wind Energy, More Green Hydrogen

The connection between wind energy and green hydrogen was reinforced earlier this year, when the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority of Estonia announced that the Norwegian firm Deep Wind Offshore submitted the winning bid for the Saare 2.1 offshore wind area.

In its pitch for a domestic green hydrogen industry, Invest Estonia draws attention to the offshore wind resources in the area of the island of Saaremaa, the largest island in the country, noting that “the Estonian hydrogen market is very strongly and uniquely dependent on the development of offshore wind farms.”

The Saare 2.1 offshore wind area is expected to host as many as 98 wind turbines, with a total capacity of up to 1,560 megawatts. The numbers will firm up once a forthcoming environmental assessment is completed.

That’s just for starters. Saare 2.1 is the first in a series of three offshore wind areas in the region to be auctioned.

As for which projects Hydrogen Valley Estonia expects to see first, look for a hybrid battery and fuel cell ferry in 2026. Hydrogen fueling stations in Talinn and other cities are also in the works.

In the meantime, the domestic green hydrogen industry is getting an assist from the UK-registered startup Elcogen. In July, Elcogen announced a new partnership with the Austrian firm AVL List GmbH to develop new solid oxide electrolyzer technology to jolt hydrogen from water at the megawatt scale. “This project brings together the R&D efforts of both partners in their respective IPCEI (“Important Project of Common European Interest”) Hy2Tech programs in Estonia/Finland and Austria,” Elcogen explained.

Elcogen is already in the process of building a new factory at the Loovälja Industrial Park, located near Tallinn. “The 14,000 square meter factory will significantly increase the Company’s current production capacity of solid oxide cells and stacks to meet the growing global demand for emission-free energy and green hydrogen-producing fuel cells,” the company explained in June.

They are not kidding when they say significant increase. Elcogen’s current production capacity is 10 megawatts. On completion, the new factory will have a capacity of 360 megawatts.

Elcogen anticipates that production will begin around the middle of next year, so stay tuned for more on that (see more of CleanTechnica’s Estonia reporting here).

Meanwhile, Green Hydrogen In The USA

If you’re wondering how the US fits into this picture, that’s a good question. The Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program is funded through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It stipulates a carve-out for fossil energy, with explains how the bill passed through Congress.

Despite the fossil energy angle, the overall emphasis is on green hydrogen from renewable resources. In particular, keep an eye out for a fresh burst of activity related to the fuel cell truck field.

*This technology tour is kindly supported by the organization Trade Estonia, through the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency.

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Image: A forthcoming hybrid battery and fuel cell electric ferry is among the initial projects aimed at kickstarting a new green hydrogen industry in Estonia (courtesy of Invest Estonia).