At the thematic conference Hydrogen in the energy transition in Zagreb on September 11th, 2020, Assist. Prof. Ankica Kovač, Ph.D. presented a project titled Hydrogen in Energy Transition: Securing Electrical Energy in the Case of Climate Extremes and Natural Disasters, which is carried out by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb.
The project is funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds / European Regional Development Fund. With this project for the first time in the Republic of Croatia will be installed a pilot localized auxiliary system that will ensure the flow of electrical energy in case of climate extremes and natural disasters. This hydrogen-based system will secure electrical energy in the case of emergencies and climate change such as floods, earthquakes, high and low temperatures, which is most important for large services such as health facilities, as we had the opportunity to see on March 22nd, 2020 when a strong earthquake hit Zagreb and its surroundings.
Exports of the equipment for hydrogen technology could be a significant segment due to the increase in demand in the EU, generated by the adopted EU hydrogen strategy.
What we are talking about is ultimately about preserving the biosphere of planet Earth. We have all evolved over the last 150 years, and especially the last 70 years, based on the burning of fossil fuels. Population growth required more and more energy and more food. So today we are where we are. It is crucial to accelerate the energy transition to renewable energy sources and to carry out comprehensive decarbonization of transport and production of all types of goods.
Renewable energy sources in conjunction with green hydrogen can significantly accelerate the energy transition and thus contribute to avoiding catastrophic scenarios.
In any case, as a member of the EU, Croatia will need to follow the path of technological development set out in the EU, especially the energy transition, i.e. the decarbonization of industry and transport in general. In order to have planned zero greenhouse gas emissions to 2050, we have not much time available for such shifts. As this project started on February 17th, 2020, we are currently in the procurement phase of equipment. One part of that equipment has already arrived. The system is designed as autonomous, i.e. off-grid, which means that it will be independent of the existing energy network, and will be installed in the Power Engineering Laboratory of the FSB.
The full interview is available at the link: https://www.poslovni.hr/hrvatska/ovaj-kemijski-element-mogao-bi-ozivjeti-domace-gospodarstvo-4251198
