H2SCALE -Paving the way for setting up scalable, green hydrogen-based economic models for local communities in the Danube Region

The EU's climate strategies emphasize the development of hydrogen industries to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, with goals like using 20 million tons of renewable hydrogen by 2030. The H2SCALE project aligns with these strategies, focusing on creating local hydrogen ecosystems in the Danube Region, including Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Germany. These countries face high energy costs and rely on fossil fuels, making hydrogen crucial for boosting their economies and addressing energy poverty. The project involves assessing local hydrogen production and consumption capacities, integrating hydrogen into energy and transport systems, and preparing investments. Challenges include limited municipal knowledge and top-down investment approaches. The consortium also submitted a proposal (I3Hydrogen) to facilitate regional cooperation prviously and now they plan to elaborate it further in this project by addressing feedback, involve more stakeholders, raise hydrogen acceptance, and secure additional funding.