Where electrification is not possible, only hydrogen produced from renewable sources can really help accelerate the energy transition.
THEgreen hydrogen it is a key ally in the decarbonisation of certain sectors, including the chemical industry and other energy-intensive activities, such as steel and cement, aviation, shipping and the glass industry.
For this reason, and in light of the unsustainable increases in gas prices, a consortium of 23 partners from eight European countries has launched the project H2GLASS under Horizon europe, the main EU funding program for research and innovation.
The phases of the project
The four-year H2GLASS project has a budget of 33 million euros and has obtained a grant of 24 million euros by the end of July 2022. The grant agreement has already been signed, while the research activities will start at the beginning of 2023 .
The goals
H2GLASS aims to create the technological stack necessary for glass producers to implement hydrogen combustion in production plants, while ensuring:
- excellent quality products;
- compliance with emission limits;
- safe operation.
The realities involved
The H2GLASS Consortium will be able to count on the experience of qualified partnersuse of hydrogen in the glass sector, such as Steklarna Hrastnik, PTML Pilkington, Owens Corning and Stara Glass, as well as on the technical-scientific support of Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro, an international research center, active in Murano since 1956.
This will be complemented by a group of industrial and research institutions (SINTEF Energy, SINTEF Industry, SINTEF Manufacturing, STAM, Steinbeis Innovation, We Plus, NTNU, The University of Nottingham, Kemijski Institut, Fraunhofer, Aston University, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, SENER, CIB UNIGAS) and other glass producers who want to remain at the forefront of sustainable technology such as Vetrobalsamo and Zignago Vetro.
The perspectives
The innovation generated by H2GLASS can create 10.000 new jobs and unlock revenues of between 1 and 5 billion euros for the implementation of glass technology. It also has the potential to generate investments of up to € 17 billion and 200.000 new jobs for green hydrogen, all while reducing emissions by around 80%.
Source: glass-international.com
