The hydrogen economy is coming, are you ready? Northern Industry 2024 summary
Northern Industry 2024 highlighted solutions to mitigate the environmental impact of industry.
On 22-23 May, the Northern Industry Fair brought us back to the most pressing issues and phenomena in industry! Aimed at industry experts and decision-makers in Northern Finland, the event offered visitors a wide range of industrial services, products and the latest information. The presentations were built around topical themes: hydrogen and wind power, the hydrogen economy, cleantech, sustainable development and major projects in Northern Finland were the main themes of the first day in particular.
The University of Oulu is one of the most important centres of hydrogen research in Finland, so we were particularly interested in the hydrogen economy as a topic. So, we put together this blog post with our impressions of the fair and the latest highlights from the discussions on the hydrogen economy.
How to boost investment in hydrogen?
Hydrogen can replace fossil fuels because it can be produced cleanly and used as energy without emissions. Hydrogen can also be used to store and transfer energy and is a raw material for industry. In the future, the hydrogen economy is expected to become an integral part of the energy systems, industry and transport of advanced carbon-neutral societies.
The first speaker at the fair was Matti Malkamäki, founder of Hycamite, a company producing pure hydrogen. Hycamite's zero-emission technology decomposes methane into its elemental components – hydrogen and carbon. The methane pyrolysis technology uses only 13% of the energy needed to produce hydrogen from water by electrolysis. The process is based on an invention by Ulla Lassi, Professor of Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Oulu. The company has further developed the invention together with university researchers.
Malkamäki pointed out that there are plans for large-scale investments in the hydrogen sector in Finland and the EU, but the plans are stalled and no final investment decisions have been made. Despite small steps forward, the EU is moving too slowly and regulation is based on the wrong things to achieve the objectives, according to Malkamäki.
In his speech, Malkamäki criticised the EU's regulatory focus on the need for all energy to be immediately renewable. This is the idea behind Germany's Energiewende programme, for example, which has failed in its aim to reduce the carbon footprint of electricity production. We should learn from this and focus on creating regulations that aim to reduce carbon emissions first. For this we need low-carbon hydrogen. In the US, for example, a technology-neutral approach to hydrogen has delivered more results than Europe's approach. Of course, renewable energy must be our ultimate goal, but you cannot start climbing the tree from the top.
Malkamäki also believes that the hydrogen economy should be developed industry first. In the hydrogen economy, the greatest benefits and emission reductions will come from a low-carbon industry, rather than focusing on households or other smaller areas. The steel industry, for example, is one of the most polluting industries. However, the steel industry is also on the verge of a major revolution: to name one major step forward, the Swedish steel company SSAB is the first company in the world to make fossil-free steel using a technology, which replaces coal in the iron ore reduction process with hydrogen. We should continue to learn from such success stories in the future.
Finland is well placed to develop a successful hydrogen economy. In addition to other resources, we have a wealth of technological expertise in various companies and universities. The best results will certainly come from cooperation between different companies and organisations to promote the hydrogen transition. These are big challenges that no one can tackle alone.
The University of Oulu is at the top of the world in hydrogen research
After Malkamäki's speech, the same themes were continued. Mika Ruusunen, professor of energy and biorefinery measurements at the University of Oulu, opened up the prospects for the hydrogen economy and the cleantech sector from a research perspective. Cleantech is a generic term for anything that improves energy and material efficiency and environmental well-being. Improving the state of the environment is a mega-trend that is currently also driving the hydrogen economy.
Currently, hydrogen is primarily made of fossil natural gas; however, in the near future, hydrogen production will transfer to an emission-free electrolysis process in which water is split into hydrogen and oxygen. However, producing hydrogen out of water with electrolysis requires a great amount of energy. The massive need for renewable electric energy is a challenge for increasing electrolysis-based hydrogen production. As a solution, the University of Oulu is developing alternative, emission-free and energy-efficient ways of producing hydrogen.
In addition to the methane pyrolysis-based methods used by Hycamite, the University of Oulu is developing other alternative, emission-free and low-electricity ways to produce hydrogen. Produced with photocatalysis, solar hydrogen is a method for the future in which water is turned into hydrogen directly with sunlight, without any electricity. The energy of sunlight is used to split the water molecules on the surface of the catalyst into hydrogen and oxygen.
In addition to water and natural gas, hydrogen is also produced from other source materials, different industry side streams or organic waste. As an example, Ruusunen cited the GREENE project at the University of Oulu, which aims to develop a new thermochemical method for biogas utilisation in the production of fossil-free biohydrogen. The project's method development and technology piloting will contribute to low-emission, flexible and efficient decentralised energy production. In this way, the project will strengthen the emergence of new local product development and business solutions for energy production. The methodology developed in the project will enable the use of biogas as a raw material in a nuclear and energy-efficient way. The project will develop and build a continuous pilot-scale plant for the production of hydrogen. The carbon monoxide produced in the hydrogen production process will be used as an energy source for the process.
The University of Oulu’s hydrogen research relies on both in-depth basic research as well as extensive applied research that are promoted in dozens of research projects. The University of Oulu’s hydrogen research emphasises, in particular, the promotion of clean hydrogen production methods, the utilisation of hydrogen in steel production and the development of steels for storing and transferring hydrogen. In addition, hydrogen utilisation methods are under development for the chemical industry, energy production and traffic alongside with new business models suitable for the new hydrogen economy.
"The fair had many exhibitors and an active atmosphere. It was great to see how educational and research institutions were represented at the fair, together with businesses. I particularly enjoyed the interesting presentations, which provided a comprehensive overview of the issues that affect Northern industry."
How could your company benefit from the latest research?
Sustainable development, the hydrogen economy and renewable energy were clearly among the most talked about and topical issues in Northern Industry 2024. With new innovations and research knowledge, we can revolutionise many areas of industry and build both a better business and a cleaner environment together.
How could your company benefit from the latest research? If you missed the chance to chat at the University of Oulu stand, contact the Innovation Centre's business experts. We can help you benefit from the exceptionally broad insight of the University of Oulu's experts. We are your partner for education, research and innovation cooperation, regardless of the size of your company or your industry.
Contact us!
Maria Juurikka
Company Specialist
maria.juurikka@oulu.fi
+358294487646
Petri Leukkunen
Customer Manager
petri.leukkunen@oulu.fi
+358294481162
Kaisa Still
Customer Manager
kaisa.still@oulu.fi
+358294488030