Nordic Hydrogen Energy Foresight

The Nordic H₂ Energy Foresight is a joint research project involving 16 partner organisations, including R&D institutes, energy companies and industry, from the five Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It was launched January 2003 and is expected to run until June 2005.

The Nordic Hydrogen Energy Foresight has the following objectives:
 

	To develop socio-technical scenarios for a future hydrogen society and explore roadmaps to commercialisation of hydrogen production, transport, storage and utilisation
	To contribute as decision support for companies, research institutes and public authorities in order to prioritise R&D and to develop effective framework policies
	To maintain and develop scientific and industrial networks

The Nordic Hydrogen Energy Foresight project is supported by the Nordic Innovation Centre and the Nordic Energy Research.

Technology foresight and the hydrogen society

As the use of fossil-based energy becomes limited by scarcity or environmental concern, using hydrogen as an energy carrier is generally accepted as a promising future replacement of fossil fuels, as it is able to address the issues of environmental degradation and energy supply. The realisation of the hydrogen vision – in what form it might appear - requires concerted action among governments, science and industry in the Nordic countries.

Technology Foresight (TF) focuses explicitly on the future hydrogen energy in the Nordic countries. TF is an effective gear change between industry and academia, the various national R&D activities, Nordic R&D activities and the larger international (EU) innovation system within hydrogen energy. It aims at building synergy and critical mass within selected areas of strategic importance to the hydrogen energy in the Nordic countries, and externally, by positioning common Nordic actions and alliances in a broader international context.

Objectives of Technology Foresight:

The Nordic technology foresight for the hydrogen society has the following objectives:

	To identity, select and present a number of scenarios illustrating the prospects for a future hydrogen society with respect to technology, application and market issues for a broad spectrum of socio-technical conditions in a timeframe of 2003 to 2030.
	To explore the roads to commercialisation, from identifying potential socio-technical scenarios to developing solutions all along the value chain (production, transport, storage, and utilisation), including the identification of unique market opportunities where hydrogen based systems are competitive in the short term and with growth potential towards longer-term goals.
	To contribute as decision support for companies and research institutes in order to prioritise research, development and commercialisation of hydrogen technologies, including the required infrastructure technologies.
	To maintain and develop the scientific and industrial networks within hydrogen technologies as a necessary step towards gaining critical mass where national resources are not sufficient to achieve top results.
	To analyse the implementation and implications of the hydrogen technology in the Nordic countries and assist governmental decision-makers in making effective framework policies for the hydrogen society, including science, technology, innovation, environment and energy policies.

The primary target groups for the results of this project are industry, research communities and governments involved in or with interest in hydrogen technologies.

How can Technology Foresight contribute to the Nordic knowledge region?

Technology foresight is considered as an effective tool for "wiring up" and thereby strengthening innovation systems and their shaping of the future: TF assures the five Cs:

	Concentration of R&D efforts in order to realise radically new types of energy systems. The realisation of hydrogen based energy systems requires both long-term research as well as shorter term commercialisation, which are seen as interdependent, complementary and interlinked issues in strategic roadmaps.
	Co-ordination between visions, intentions and actions of governments, science and industry in order to align R&D with other instruments such as taxation, subsidies, regulation, and environmental standards.
	Consensus on promising economic sectors in order to initiate the transformation into the hydrogen society.
	Communication about key aspects of hydrogen energy in order to raise commercial interests, to provide a well-educated workforce, and to assure public acceptance.
	Commitment to the implementation of the roadmaps to the hydrogen society. The idea is to bring science and industry together in agreed action fields within R&D as well as demonstration projects as well as to create new technological and market opportunities for companies. Necessary framework conditions provided by governments are likewise a prerequisite in the transition towards the hydrogen society, something which is sustained in the existing Nordic energy policy cooperation.

In short, TF can contribute by enhancing the strategic intelligence in the Nordic knowledge region. It is an effective instrument for a closer alignment in the articulation, execution and exploitation of R&D activities. This would pave the way for hydrogen energy systems in the Nordic countries and thereby increase quality of the environment and wealth.