Project description
Increasing public awareness and acceptance of hydrogen technologies
The term ‘hydrogen economy’ was first used in 1970 and hydrogen has been a focus of the International Energy Agency for decades. Hydrogen is a carbon-free energy carrier, which can be produced from renewable sources and converted into emission-free electricity via fuel cells. As costs drop and storage and safety improve, revisiting public opinion will be important to acceptance and adoption. The EU-funded HYPOP project aims to raise public awareness and trust in hydrogen technologies and their benefits. It will prepare guidelines and best practices to help people get involved in the implementation of H2 technologies. Its web platform, based on the outcomes of public engagement activities, will provide informative videos and other materials.
Objective
HYPOP aims to raise public awareness and trust towards hydrogen technologies and their systemic benefits, through: a) the preparation of guidelines and good practices that will help to define more effectively how citizens, consumers/end-users and stakeholders can be involved in the implementation of H2 technologies. b) the creation of a web platform collecting communication material, mainly videos, on new hydrogen technologies, developed according to the early findings of the public engagement activities.
HYPOP is led by ENVI, an innovation accelerator for business with 20 years’ experience in the hydrogen sector. HYPOP is represented by a well-balanced Consortium representing 6 Countries: National Hydrogen Clusters (IT, B, PL, BG), three Research Organisations (IR, ES), an Agency for the Promotion of European Research (IT).
Four guidelines will be developed: one more public oriented that will report on best practices to involve citizens, the other 3 collecting the results coming from the involvement of stakeholders’ groups (First Responders, Permitting Authorities, Certification Body). HYPOP will also contribute to the definition of indicators to be used for Social Life Cycle Assessment of hydrogen technologies, and for this will focus on 2 applications: residential and mobility, which will enter into the daily life of people. HYPOP will also be connected with some ongoing H2 projects characterised by demonstration activities in public spaces. Some of them have already been identified, i.e. Everywh2ere, Reflex, H2Ports, REMOTE: they are well known to the consortium partners and have faced some barriers often due to a lack of specific reference cases for the authorities called upon to grant safety and other permissions for the installation or use of the demonstrators. The HYPOP website aims to become the hosting site of similar videos explaining upcoming hydrogen technology currently under development and demonstration.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-JU-CSA - HORIZON JU Coordination and Support ActionsCoordinator
10100 Torino
Italy