Companies and other actors in Ostrobothnia: join our local green hydrogen network

Novia University of Applied Sciences, Hanken School of Economics and Vaasa University of Applied Sciences are inviting companies, municipalities and other Ostrobothnian actors to join the local green hydrogen network.

Novia, Vamk and Hanken is currently calling for expressions of interest in developing hydrogen infrastructure in the Ostrobothnia region, as part of the H2 Ecosystem Roadmap. The project, funded by the EU's regional development funds, has been approved by the Regional Council of Ostrobothnia.

The EU has made a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050. Green hydrogen (H2), which can be used to store power produced using renewable energy, is predicted to become one of the key technologies in the EU's transition to zero net carbon emissions. However, the green hydrogen market is not yet established, and many companies are still in the initial stages of developing H2 business models.

"The hydrogen economy is about overarching systemic change. This is not something that any single actor can achieve. The value creation process needs to be a collaboration between multiple actors. We realize that this project requires different types of managerial, organizational and entrepreneurial skills, technical expertise and systems know-how," says Kaisa Penttilä, project co-leader at Hanken.

Hydrogen can be produced from variety of processes with different sources.

“Conventionally hydrogen is produced from gasification of coal, steam reforming of natural gas or by electrolysis using nonrenewable electricity. Although hydrogen is a colorless gas, it has been categorized into different color codes such as Green, blue, grey and Turquoise etc., depending on greenhouse gas emissions released during its production process. Green hydrogen means hydrogen produced from renewable sources and is a near-zero carbon production route. The most established and widely used technology for producing green hydrogen is by electrolysis of water using renewable electricity.” says Shiva Sharma project co-leader at Novia UAS.

The project includes researching what Ostrobothnian players have plans to invest in green hydrogen and related technologies.

The project has launched a survey to allow actors to express their interest in finding out more about potential business development partnerships relating to the hydrogen economy. All interested parties are very welcome to join the network. The deadline for submitting responses is 15 October 2021.

For more information, please visit H2 Ecosystem Roadmaps website.