The UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (UK HFCA) is hosting the event “Getting to 2030” at the prestigious QEII Centre in London’s Westminster on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, with a series of sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities and 20 guest speakers.
CEO of the UK HFCA, Celia Greaves, said: “There will be sessions covering scaling up supply, growing demand, building supply chains and ‘oiling the wheels’ of the hydrogen economy – allowing attendees to network and collaborate in a fantastic venue in the heart of the capital.
“We wish to reinforce the government’s ambition to establish a thriving hydrogen economy in the UK by 2030, demonstrating a pathway to meet this goal and expanding on the journey we need to make to get there.”
Seize the opportunity
The conference will follow a lobbying event organised by the UK HFCA in Parliament in January to discuss crucial ways to propel the UK to net zero.
Businesses and organisations across energy, transport and industry will join MPs and representatives the organisation for the rally – Seizing the UK’s Hydrogen Opportunity – that aims to push the Government on three key priorities for the hydrogen economy.
These include accelerating progress on the development of hydrogen storage, developing a practical strategy for transport, and creating reliable codes, standards, and regulations for the sector.
Transport, storage and regulation
Celia Greaves, CEO and founder of the UK HFCA, said: “Hydrogen is vital in reaching net zero and we need comprehensive strategies and support to keep us on track and ensure that the UK is at the forefront of this global effort. It’s time for MPs to get behind us in pushing for regulations that will make deployment easier for all industries.”
The UK HFCA wants the Government to establish a strategy for hydrogen transport which recognises its key role, particularly in trucks, trains, shipping and aviation, and includes infrastructure, vehicles, and the range of energy vectors that carry hydrogen. To date, hydrogen for transport has had to rely on a patchwork of grants and policy levers that share no clear strategy to link and progress all aspects of a hydrogen transport network over the medium term.
Ms Greaves said: “This leads to the second priority – the frustration surrounding legislative red tape.
“Regulatory standards for the sector are often inappropriate and unsuitable, adapted from other, very different, fuels – or missing completely.
“On top of this we need a clear plan for hydrogen storage. This is key to ensuring energy resilience, a vital element of the UK energy landscape, and of increasing importance following recent international events. Hydrogen has been recognised by Government as a clear no regret decision for long duration storage. We now need to see steps put in place to make this happen.”
Ms Greaves said: “We expect our lobbying efforts to be well-received and the conference will follow hot on the heels of this to maintain momentum.
“The UK could become a hydrogen super-power, but it needs continuing political momentum and commitments to match that of other nations; without these, we are in danger of falling behind.”
Bigger and better
Interested organisations are invited to join members of the UK HFCA, which represent the full hydrogen energy supply chain and all applications and ranging from innovative SMEs through to pure play technology companies and large corporations, to explore a range of exhibition, speaker and sponsorship opportunities now available here: http://www.ukhfca2023.co.uk/
Last year the UK HFCA held its inaugural hydrogen conference with 500 delegates representing companies and organisations in areas of production through to distribution and in applications across transport, heat and power. The event was opened by the then Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth Greg Hands. This year’s conference is expected to be even bigger and better.
If you have any enquiries about the conference, email Elizabeth Henshaw