Amethyst project partners met in Moûtiers (french Alps) on March 7 & 8 for the project kick-off. After a full day of project meeting, project partners participated in a major conference on H2 opportunities to decarbonize mountain territories followed by a study visit to Moûtiers’ H2 refueling station, organized by AURA-EE and Tenerrdis.

Hosted by the City of Moûtiers, the AMETHyST launch conference was introduced by with the presentation of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes H2 strategy. It continued with two round tables during which regional, industrial, and institutional actors, at the regional, national, and European levels, discussed feedback, prospects and support for the development of hydrogen as a mean to decarbonize mountain areas.  

Conference take-aways

Key drivers of the decarbonization of mountain territories are:

• The need for training and information on the technology and its uses;
• The development of the H₂ ecosystem in mountain areas where the diversity of uses on small territories allows for many experiments, and the various forms of renewable energy are abundant (hydroelectricity, solar energy ...);
• Turning climate change into an opportunity: because changes occur more rapidly in mountains, the Alpine territories constitute a laboratory for experimentation, a propellant towards massification, and an incubator to go further.

Hydrogen has many advantages for making progress in the transition. Its production is regular and it does not depend on the seasons. Easily produced by renewable electricity, it can be used for multiple purposes: mobility, industries, ski area operation, agriculture, stationary use...

However, local players, local authorities and project leaders need to be supported to face the challenges of this new energy vector, which implies creating specific infrastructures and multiplying the uses of hydrogen. This is the purpose of the AMETHyST project.

To learn more in depth the key points from the conference, read the conference summary or watch the conference recording.