Challenges

Industrial Energy Transition / Hydrogen & CO2 Sustainability

City of Amsterdam

Background:

 

Amsterdam aims to be climate neutral by 2050.[1] In addition, the climate objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement must be achieved. To do this, large-scale changes are necessary, leading to a whole new economy with great opportunities for employment, industry, technology, education and science.

 

Industry is responsible for the vast majority of current greenhouse gas emissions. Making industry more sustainable will therefore be an important part of the required energy transition. However, a great deal of innovation is still required to set industrial energy transition in motion. The production, distribution and consumption chain must be developed, as well as the necessary infrastructure. In addition, developments in the area of large-scale production of sustainable energy (offshore wind farms/solar energy), green hydrogen production (using electrolysers) and efficient CO2 capture are still in their infancy and new technologies must be developed in which CO2 and H2 are used as raw materials for new products.

 

Industry needs to innovate to switch production processes and products that currently rely on fossil raw materials, to the use of renewable energy sources and sustainable raw materials. The municipality can contribute to this by looking at its large-scale purchases of  products and services from a sustainable point of view, and investigating whether these could be sourced from sustainable production processes. A link must be made between resources/purchases by government/municipality and industrial processes that can be made sustainable.

 

Assignment for startups:

Use CO2 and/or green H2* to make a product or service commonly used by the municipality more sustainable. The figure below shows a number of examples where H2, CO2 or a combination of both raw materials form the basis for important products in our society, such as fuels, food, chemicals and plastics. The challenge in this assignment is to use products resulting from H2 / CO2 innovation to make products/services used/sourced by the municipality more sustainable. In this context, ‘green’ H2 can be used both as a raw material and as a fuel.

 

* ‘Green hydrogen’ is produced using an electrolyser and electricity generated entirely sustainably (from wind or solar power, for example). At the moment there is little green hydrogen available, but the intention of the innovation must be to use green hydrogen in the future.

[1]  Nieuw Amsterdams Klimaat – Routekaart Amsterdam Klimaatneutraal 2050: https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-en-organisatie/volg-beleid/coalitieakkoord-uitvoeringsagenda/gezonde-duurzame-stad/klimaatneutraal/

 

Criteria:

  • Use ‘green hydrogen’ and/or CO2 or a combination of both raw materials as the basis for more sustainable products/services as used/purchased by the municipality.
  • Examples of products are fuels, food, chemicals and plastics. Your own input and ideas are welcome! For inspiration you may use the purchasing list of the municipality of Amsterdam – for your choice of product/service.
  • The pilot is intended for innovations of which proof of principle has already been delivered (TRL 3-4).
  • A potential partnership with the industry that currently produces the fossil-based product is recommended.

Issued by:

Economische Zaken

Ruimte en Duurzaamheid