In the HyWays project a European hydrogen roadmap has been developed. It is based primarily on country-specific analyses of 10 member states. The countries selected (Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and the UK) ensure a large coverage, both in land and population, and represent the diversity and geographical spread of Europe, increasing the confidence in the validity of the synthesis at European level.
The HyWays project explored and planned for the potential that the integration of hydrogen technologies into the energy system have to contribute to the challenges of ensuring that Europe’s peoples and economies have a secure, environmentally sustainable and economically competitive supply of energy services for generations to come.
The HyWays project differs from other road mapping exercises as it integrates stakeholder preferences, obtained from multiple member state workshops, with extensive modelling in an iterative way covering both technological and socio-economic aspects. The stakeholder validation process, which takes into account country specific conditions, is considered to be a key element of the road mapping process.
The success of the European Union is that it brings together diverse economies linking their skills, knowledge and technologies and harnesses them for common purpose. The HyWays project – the European Hydrogen Energy Roadmap is an example of the power of collective representative European research in the face of the challenges posed by the need for more sustainable energy solutions in today’s world.