The Energy Agency Styria tested the H2CE GIS approach as a decision-support tool for regional hydrogen planning.
The pilot was designed to help public authorities examine how hydrogen production, demand and infrastructure could develop across the region. Its GIS environment brought different types of energy and territorial information together in a spatial format.
What the pilot supported
The approach helped regional users examine:
- existing energy infrastructure;
- potential renewable-energy and hydrogen-production locations;
- prospective hydrogen demand;
- transport and distribution options;
- spatial relationships between production and consumption; and
- possible regional development scenarios.
Data collection and practical challenges
The Energy Agency Styria collected the information required for the GIS database and assessed how it could be used in regional planning.
One of the principal challenges concerned data sensitivity. Some relevant infrastructure and energy information could not be freely published or shared at full detail. This affected how data were collected, processed and presented.
Lessons learned
The Styria pilot showed that a useful GIS tool required more than technical mapping capabilities. Authorities also needed:
- clearly defined data requirements;
- cooperation with infrastructure operators and data owners;
- procedures for handling confidential information;
- transparent assumptions where detailed data were unavailable; and
- regular data maintenance.
The results contributed to the H2CE strategic decision-support approach, which was incorporated into the project’s Collaboration Platform for use and adaptation by other regions.