Latest News

Water scarcity affects more and more sectors, and according to the latest reports by IRENA and Bluerisk (2023), “Water for hydrogen production”, and IRENA and the World Trade Organization (2023), “International trade and green hydrogen: Supporting the global transition to a low-carbon economy” [1-2], this water shortage can even jeopardize the very promising hydrogen production projects. At ISFOC, we believe that current challenges require emerging solutions, which is why we are already involved in developing solutions to optimize water use in green hydrogen production. In this regard, ISFOC is collaborating with ADIEGO HERMANOS, S.A, Vanguardland - Consultoría Energética Lda, SOLARTYS - Solar Energy Cluster, and ZINNAE in the H2ORA project - Optimization of Water Resources for green hydrogen production, funded by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.

Hydrogen (H2) production technologies are currently the best solution to harness and manage the vast amount of energy obtainable from renewable sources. These technologies allow us to advance in the energy transition, but due to the severe water crisis we are experiencing, their development may be endangered by the need to prioritize water use for human consumption rather than H2 generation. This directly impacts the achievement of the Agenda 2030 milestones and the objectives of the Hydrogen Route.

The H2ORA project aims to develop an open and accessible software tool for any sector user, facilitating decision-making related to water availability and use in green hydrogen generation projects. On one hand, it allows simulating the feasibility of using wastewater (from processes or industrial) for green hydrogen production by identifying the necessary treatments to make it suitable for use in a commercial electrolyzer. On the other hand, it will help those industries generating wastewater to evaluate the possibility of incorporating an H2 production system in their facilities to reduce waste generation and increase their energy self-sufficiency in the context of the circular economy.

This project is funded by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism of the Government of Spain and the European Union - Next Generation EU. Call for grants to support Innovative Business Groups, corresponding to the year 2023, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.

1. IRENA and Bluerisk (2023), Water for hydrogen production, International Renewable Energy Agency, Bluerisk, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
2. IRENA World Trade Organization (2023), International trade and green hydrogen: Supporting the global transition to a low-carbon economy