The H2CE partnership launched its cooperation in Potsdam on 26–27 April 2023. Twelve partners from Germany, Austria, Poland, Italy, Czechia, Croatia and Slovakia agreed on a common objective: to support public authorities in integrating hydrogen and renewable energy into regional planning.
A shared regional challenge
H2CE addressed the need to coordinate hydrogen infrastructure, production, demand and regional development. It placed public authorities at the centre of the process, recognising their role in:
- regional and spatial planning;
- infrastructure coordination;
- stakeholder cooperation;
- strategic decision-making; and
- the effective use of public funding.
Transnational cooperation helped the participating regions exchange experience, coordinate capacities and avoid infrastructure gaps or overcapacity.
The project’s implementation approach
The partnership organised its work around three areas:
- Regional strategies and action plans: integrating hydrogen into regional development frameworks.
- Energy-system planning: developing and testing tools for hydrogen-ready regional energy systems.
- Knowledge and cooperation: connecting regional stakeholders and making project results accessible.
Results developed during the project
By the end of H2CE, the partnership had developed and tested several practical solutions:
- regional analyses, strategies and action plans;
- GIS-based decision-support tools;
- an energy-cell model;
- a hydrogen-voucher mechanism;
- approaches for Regional H2 Competence Centres;
- capacity-building activities;
- the H2CE Collaboration Platform; and
- the Network of Hydrogen-Ready Regions.
The Potsdam meeting therefore marked the beginning of a three-year cooperation that translated regional hydrogen ambitions into practical planning tools, support mechanisms and long-term collaboration across central Europe.