Is hydrogen the solution to all decarbonisation challenges? It certainly runs like the proverbial silver thread during the first three days of Dcarbonise Week: Virtual Sustainability Summit (4-8 October), featuring in many of the All-Energy and Dcarbonise webinars being held during the first three days of the Summit. https://www.all-energy.co.uk/en-gb/dcarbonise-week/programme.html

Is hydrogen the solution to all decarbonisation challenges? It certainly runs like the proverbial silver thread during the first three days of Dcarbonise Week: Virtual Sustainability Summit (4-8 October), featuring in many of the All-Energy and Dcarbonise webinars being held during the first three days of the Summit. https://www.all-energy.co.uk/en-gb/dcarbonise-week/programme.html

"It is true that just two webinars have the word ‘hydrogen' in their title, but it will be spoken of in three times as many of our dozen webinars", explained Jonathan Heastie, Energy and Marine Portfolio Director at RX Global, organisers of the Virtual Summit, and of the ‘in-person' events behind the creation of Dcarbonise Week.

"'Let's talk Hydrogen' and ‘Hydrogen in Action' speak for themselves, both on 6 October - they are focusing entirely on hydrogen, both green and blue. Undoubtedly it will be on the agenda in the opening session ‘The Green Recovery and Just Transition'; that silver thread runs through Day 1 sessions on offshore wind; decarbonisation of heating; and is bound to be spoken of in our finance and funding session ‘One billion seconds to decarbonise: What is the investment community doing about it?'

"Moving to Day 2 I have no doubt that our opening session ‘The road to COP26 and Net Zero' to be chaired by ScottishPower's CEO, Keith Anderson and addressed by Michael Matheson, Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport, will see hydrogen mentioned. Then it is a certainty in the next two sessions ‘From oil and gas to energy integration'; and ‘Decarbonising industry: Scotland's answer' which sees NECCUS and Project Acorn in the spotlight. Decarbonising cities and the regions is next on the running order, and I am sure we can guarantee mentions of hydrogen in terms of transport and heating.

Hydrogen front and central
"Day 3 starts with the two sessions where hydrogen is front and central. Speakers in ‘Let's talk hydrogen' include Clare Lavelle of Arup, Stefano Innocenzi of Siemens Energy, Barry Carruthers of ScottishPower and activity in Western Australia will also come under the webinar spotlight from a part of the world that passionately believes in hydrogen," adds Jonathan Heastie..

"Then, ‘Hydrogen in action' looks at what is going on in Teesside and the Humber area from both a blue and green hydrogen perspective. The next session is ‘Decarbonising the supply chain'; and then we finish with ‘Land, sea and air: Decarbonising transport' where it is an absolute given that hydrogen will be firmly on the agenda."

In all there are a dozen webinars over those first three days and illuminating ‘break spots' from SSEN Transmission; SWEP; and DER Industrialisation Centres.

Amongst others speaking on various aspects of hydrogen over the three days are::
• Kerry-Ann Adamson, Principal Consultant, Advisian
• Andy Hessell, Managing Director, Kellas Midstream
• Matt Williamson, VP Blue Hydrogen, BP
• Filippo Gaddo, Project Director, Arup
• Rob Duncalf, Head of Hydrogen Business Development for UK & USA, Ørsted
• Chris Robinson, Project Manager for Teesside Cluster Plan Project, TVCA
• Alan James, Chief Technology Officer, Storegga
• Colin Pritchard, Energy Business Manager, INEOS Grangemouth
• Morna Cannon, Head of Innovation and Acceleration, Transport Scotland
• Amanda Lyne, Managing Director, ULEMCo
• As well as input from SGN on with hydrogen for heat

Luminaries abound in all 12 webinars and include senior members of ScottishPower/ SPEN, Shepherd and Wedderburn, and Ørsted's teams plus over 60 other key stakeholders.

Day 4 of Dcarbonise Week features Oceanology International topics looking at ocean sustainability from an autonomous technology, seabed mapping, offshore site investigation and floating offshore wind, and blue economy perspective. The final day of the week sees two more RX shows - World Travel Market (WTM) and Future Farm Technology (FFT) - have their time in the virtual sustainability spotlight with highly relevant sessions on decarbonising travel and agriculture respectively.

Jonathan Heastie said:
"We would like to thank our brand sponsors - ScottishPower, Shepherd and Wedderburn and Ørsted; and our session sponsors Hitachi ABB Power Grids; iXBlue, Kellas Midstream; Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), and SWEP for their support for Dcarbonise Week. And look forward to you joining us for it!"

Registration is open at https://www.all-energy.co.uk/en-gb/dcarbonise-week/programme.html for all Dcarbonise Week webinar sessions.

Getting ready for next year's ‘in-person' event
With an eye on 11 and 12 May 2022 the Call for Speakers is available at www.all-energy.co.uk/en/Conference/callforpapers. Those who have submitted for the 2021 event need not re-submit, their submissions will be ‘rolled-over' for consideration for 2022; but they are very welcome to suggest new ideas as well. The Call will remain open until Friday 17 December 2021.

Sponsors, supporters, and further information
All-Energy's major sponsors at the ‘in-person' event include Shepherd and Wedderburn (Headline Sponsor) and Natural Power (Power Club Sponsor). 2020-Spring 2021 webinar sponsors included the Scottish Government, GreenPower International, Natural Power, Ørsted, ScottishPower, SP Energy Networks, Shepherd and Wedderburn, SmartestEnergy, and UKRI.

Dcarbonise, aimed at end-users, is supported by the Scottish Government, Energy Saving Trust Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland.

All-Energy is held in association with the Renewable Energy Association; Highlands and Islands Enterprise; Scottish Enterprise; UKRI and Innovate UK; Sustainable Glasgow; and the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG), with Glasgow as its Host City, and the Society for Underwater Technology as Learned Society Patron. Dcarbonise is sponsored by the Scottish Government, Energy Saving Trust and Zero Waste Scotland.

The Smart Urban Mobility Solutions conference stream (part of Dcarbonise) is supported by Transport Scotland and organised in association with the Smart Environment Forum of ITS United Kingdom. Further information is at www.all-energy.co.uk and www.dcarbonise.com