The official hydrogen event in Rotterdam spoke to the world’s hydrogen and energy leaders about the future outlook for the hydrogen industry, including the CTO & Managing Director H2 Projects at Smartenergy, Christian Pho Duc.
How does Smartenergy fit within the value chain of hydrogen?
Well, we have two rules. One is we invest into projects. So we enable the market by investments. On the other hand, we also develop projects ourselves, which we then either keep or also have other parties, other investors joining us into these projects.
What message did you share with the audience?
Yeah, so today the panel was about innovation and in fact hybrid right now is at the at the moment where it scales enormously into an area which has never been done before in terms of electrolyzer, size, storage, electricity, of a combination of different renewables, intermittency so there’s so much innovation ongoing right now that this panel really was interesting to see the big players and also ourselves where do we focus our activities to make the whole ecosystem this new ecosystem on renewable hydrogen work.
What is the biggest priority to deliver a transition to a hydrogen-based economy?
Well, in fact it’s quite easy for me, I’m coming from renewables in the past and with hydrogen basis for me is to go renewable hydrogen and with renewable hydrogen we need the renewable power and right now with the targets we have, we have the fit for 55 now, with the energy crisis, with the war ongoing, where we need to make independence, we need so much hydrogen to be produced on top of electrification that we need a huge amount of renewables multiples of what we have done so far.
So right now, the priority is to combine renewable projects with hydrogen project as a common approach.
What has been your journey to develop this passion with hydrogen?
Oh, my passion for hydrogen. Well, I’m a physicist originally and somehow through various management jobs, somehow, I returned back quite in a very technical role right now as a CTO. And I’m really passionate about the opportunity, how it brings the smallest element we have, the most abundant element in the universe. But it is so much reactive with so many different elements that you can do so many things in all areas of industry that it’s amazing and that’s a passion.
Why is this event unique?
So, this event right now is right after the pandemic. Finally, we can move even without mask. And people come together for the first time, with hydrogen becoming a top priority right now on the energy agenda worldwide and so right now here we have the Exhibition and the conference at the same time, with thousands of people attending, and I think it’s the strongest hot spot of hydrogen personal meetings which I’ve seen so far.
Produced by the Sustainable Energy Council in partnership with the Port of Rotterdam, the City of Rotterdam and the Province of Zuid Holland, the global event welcomes 8000 industry professionals, 170+ Speakers, 350 Exhibitors and 50 sponsors to share latest news, establish key connections and sign business deals to accelerate the deployment of the hydrogen economy. Register your place among hydrogen pioneers: https://www.world-hydrogen-summit.com/registration/
