Pathways for transition to hydrogen energy to be presented at conference in Tomsk

TOMSK, October 25. /TASS/. An all-Russian conference dedicated to hydrogen technologies called “Hydrogen. Technologies. Future” opened on Monday in Tomsk. Experts from Germany, Belgium, South Africa and India are taking part in the event. Participants will spend three days discussing technologies for the production, storage and application of hydrogen, particularly for environmentally friendly Arctic research stations and trains.

Hydrogen is considered one of the most promising fuels, which, in addition to being highly efficient, is not harmful to the environment. The International Hydrogen Council estimates that by 2050 hydrogen will account for 18 percent of the world’s total energy demand.

“Tomsk is one of the scientific and technological centers of Russia and it is not by chance that we will be discussing such topics as hydrogen technologies <…> with you for several days. It is evident that not all countries will be able to afford this transition to green energy. The transition will be expensive. It is very important to look forward and to model the future, to forecast different scenarios of technological development and socio-economic development,” – said Vadim Medvedev, Director of the Department of Innovation and Promising Research of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, on the opening of the conference via video.

He specified that the reports on creation of hydrogen arctic stations, in particular, will be presented at the conference, as well as on technologies of hydrogen application in energetics and in the transport industry to create hydrogen trains. About 200 experts from Russia, Germany, Belgium, South Africa, and India will take part in the three-day conference which will be held at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU).

“Tomsk can become the place where hydrogen energy technologies will be tested in difficult climatic conditions. At the same time, we believe that it is extremely important to form not only a technological agenda, but also an expert agenda that is currently being built in the country in order to determine the strategic directions of both technological development and consumption,” said acting TPU Head Dmitry Sednev at the opening.

In 2020, six universities and scientific organizations of the Russian Federation united into the country’s first scientific and technological Consortium of Hydrogen Technologies. The creation of the consortium was initiated by Tomsk Polytechnic University, the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, the Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, the Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Samara State Technical University, and Sakhalin State University. The participants agreed to conduct joint developments along the whole “hydrogen value chain” – from technologies of its production to its use.