The production of renewable hydrogen in Sines, its use in buildings and mobility in the Alentejo region, and an energy community in the Algarve are actions envisioned by an international project coordinated by the University of Évora (UE), announced today.
In a statement, the academy stressed that the initiative “aims to create a ‘hydrogen valley in the Alentejo’, leveraging existing infrastructure and new investments to develop and test solutions across the entire value chain.”
The project aims to “move from research and planning to the demonstration of concrete applications, evaluating on the ground how renewable hydrogen can be integrated into transport, buildings and local energy systems,” it added.
Initiated in 2024 and with a duration planned until 2030, the H2tALENT project brings together 29 partners from seven countries, including universities, companies, municipalities, technology centers and public entities, with an overall budget of nine million euros.
According to UE, mobility will be one of the areas in which the technology will be tested, with planned support for the conversion to hydrogen-powered systems of municipal fleets and public service fleets in Alandroal, in the Évora district.
In Évora, the institution indicated, the focus will be on using hydrogen for heating buildings and, among the planned demonstrations, is the use of a hydrogen-natural gas mixer at the municipal swimming pool.
On Culatra Island, in the Algarve, the project will have a component focused on developing a renewable energy community, with electricity storage in the form of hydrogen and its integration with smart grids.
The system will produce renewable hydrogen from excess electrical energy at times of peak solar production, storing that hydrogen to produce electricity again during times of higher demand and lower solar production, he noted.
According to the academy, these actions complement the renewable hydrogen production component, also known as green hydrogen, in Sines, in the Setúbal district, where a 15-megawatt electrolyzer unit is planned.
“The renewable hydrogen produced could be injected into the natural gas network and/or transported to different sites of use, allowing testing of a chain that goes from production to transport, storage and consumption,” he said.
Cited in the statement, Hugo Gonçalves Silva, professor of Physics at the UE and coordinator of H2tALENT, stated that the project aims “to go from renewable hydrogen production to transport and use, covering the entire value chain.”
Overall, the University of Évora stressed that “the project foresees the production of more than 500 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year, destined for different applications in industry, mobility and buildings.”
The H2tALENT is funded by the European Commission’s Horizon program through the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
