Moving away from dependence on fossil fuels is a major challenge for today’s society to minimise the impact the climate crisis. The European Union is therefore pursuing several initiatives focused on developing a green and equitable energy transition, one of which concerns hydrogen as an energy vector. All these issues will be discussed at the ENERGIA Talks, which will take place on Friday 21 March at the Donostia Aquarium, in San Sebastian. From 18:30, a series of lectures will be held by experts from CAT&SCALE, a national network that explores novel scientific and technological solutions to convert renewable electricity into green fuels, and ANEMEL.
Hydrogen: an asset for Europe’s economy
Hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table. It is the lightest of all elements, yet its importance in the European economy is growing. It is abundant on our planet, but it is almost always found in association with other elements. Water, for example, consists of hydrogen and oxygen. To obtain pure hydrogen from water we need to apply electricity through a device called an electrolyser. If this electric current also comes from a renewable source we obtain the so-called green hydrogen.
When burnt, hydrogen releases energy, and best of all, without emitting greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. For this reason, this light element it is becoming an important asset for EU countries, which are investing money and human resources in researching the best ways to produce hydrogen using cheaper, more abundant and less polluting resources.
Its importance is such that currently we have what is known as the hydrogen economy, a production model that aims to replace the use of fossil fuels with less polluting methods, ensuring an economy that can operate with the lowest possible greenhouse gas emissions. And yes, hydrogen represents one of the highest hopes for this model.
ANEMEL’s challenge: making clean hydrogen with dirty water
Producing green hydrogen in an efficient way remains a challenge in many aspects, but one of the most important is ethical: mankind needs to make an energy transition, but it must be fair for everyone. This is the philosophy behind ANEMEL, a project funded by the European Innovation Council with partners and associated members in nine countries.
The main objective of this European project is to develop an electrolyser to produce green hydrogen while using abundant materials like iron and avoiding the use of other polluting substances such as PFAS (also known as ‘forever chemicals’). In addition, and considering that pure water is a valuable resource that should not be wasted, ANEMEL will use dirty water for the production of its hydrogen.
About Cat&Scale, a Spanish network advancing research in sustainable energy solutions
The CAT&SCALE consortium brings together researchers from various fields to explore innovative solutions for converting renewable energy into storable chemical fuels. The full name of the project, “(Photo)-electro-catalysis: from the atomic scale to advanced devices,” clearly reflects the multidisciplinary approach of the project, bridging complementary capabilities and fostering collaboration across diverse scientific disciplines.
CAT&SCALE (RED2022-134508-T) is funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and unites experimental and theoretical researchers from eight national institutions in Spain, including UPV/EHU, ICIQ, ICN2, ICFO, IMDEA Nanociencia, ICMM-CSIC, INAM, and CiQUS-USC. By coordinating scientific collaborations across different groups, CAT&SCALE aims to accelerate the transition from fundamental research to practical energy solutions.
A key focus of CAT&SCALE is combining experimental and theoretical approaches to better understand catalytic processes. The network employs multi-technique, multi-environment experiments, transitioning from single crystals to functional devices and integrating ultra-high vacuum with electrochemical working conditions. Machine learning is also used to accelerate computations and identify key descriptors of catalytic behavior, improving predictive models. In the long term, we aim to establish descriptors—measurable properties or parameters of materials that characterize their behavior in terms of durability, selectivity, and catalytic activity. These defined descriptors will ultimately enable the optimization of novel materials and catalytic reactions for practical technical applications.
Our speakers
The ‘Energy talks’ will feature three scientists with extensive hydrogen background knowledge:
- Pau Farrás, ANEMEL coordinator and researcher at University of Galway, Ireland.
- Núria López, researcher at the CAT&SCALE network and Group Leader at ICIQ in Tarragona, Spain.
- Sara Barja, coordinator of the CAT&SCALE network and Ikerbasque researcher at University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in San Sebastian, Spain.
After the presentations, the researchers, with the additional participation of Pelayo García de Arquer (CAT&SCALE and ICFO Barcelona, Spain), will take part in a round table discussion, moderated by Fernando Gomollón-Bel, Communication Coordinator in ANEMEL.