European AMETHyST project in Moûtiers
Nearly 250 stakeholders – local authorities, economic players, European project partners – took part in the launch of the European AMETHyST project in Moûtiers (France) on March 8, 2023.
Hosted by the City of Moûtiers, conference was introduced by with the presentation of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes H2 strategy. It continued with two round tables during which regional, industrial, and institutional actors, at the regional, national, and European levels, discussed feedback, prospects and support for the development of hydrogen as a mean to decarbonize mountain areas. 3 project partners participated in the roundtables, giving their feed-back on the H2 ecosystems developed in their regions and their expertise on the subject: Luigi Crema, director of the Sustainable Energy Center from Fondazione Bruno Kessler; Magdalena Lindl, director of the Hydrogen Austria cluster; and Matteo Mazzolini, director of Friuli Venezia Giulia energy agency.
Conference take-aways
Key drivers of the decarbonization of mountain territories are:
- The need for training and information on the technology and its uses;
- The development of the H₂ ecosystem in mountain areas where the diversity of uses on small territories allows for many experiments, and the various forms of renewable energy are abundant (hydroelectricity, solar energy …);
- Turning climate change into an opportunity: because changes occur more rapidly in mountains, the Alpine territories constitute a laboratory for experimentation, a propellant towards massification, and an incubator to go further.
The conference was followed by a study visit to Moûtiers’ H2 refueling station. This station belongs to the Hympulsion network and is capable of dispensing 200kg of hydrogen per day.