Wind Meets Gas anniversary edition with a royal touch
Energy experts, policymakers, and His Majesty the King will discuss the future of hydrogen and energy during Wind Meets Gas in Groningen.
On October 7 and 8, energy experts and policymakers from the Netherlands and abroad will meet in Groningen for the 5eedition of the Wind Meets Gas symposium. HM King Willem-Alexander will be present as guest of honor and will give the opening speech. Diederik Samsom, Chief of Staff to European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, and Sandor Gaastra, Director General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, will then speak. The annual symposium is an initiative of New Energy Coalition and discusses the latest developments towards the green energy system of the future.
After the opening programme, the plenary programme will start with speakers Bart Biebuyck (FCH JU), Ruud de Jongh (Shell), Faiza Oulahsen (Greenpeace) and Gerald Linke (Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches (DVGW)).
HM the King and a number of guests, including CdK René Paas, Mayor Koen Schuiling and DG Sandor Gaastra, will follow a shortened programme and tour the various parallel sessions, including a VR tour through the region along the green hydrogen value chain that is being realised in the North in the HEAVENN project.
During Wind Meets Gas energy experts and policymakers from industry, research, and government meet annually to discuss developments in the energy transition in relation to hydrogen: from large-scale application and system integration to education and the labor market and everything in between. Green hydrogen has become globally recognised as an indispensable link in the sustainable energy system of the future. "The North Sea Energy Issue and Connecting Hydrogen Valleys" is this year's overarching theme.
Hydrogen testing ground
Noord-Nederland is the first by the EU/FCH JU Hydrogen Valley designated in Europe, a testing ground for the development and application of hydrogen gas. The North is ideally suited for this "preparing for the future," given the available infrastructure (gas network, deep-sea port), the existing energy clusters, and the knowledge and expertise built up in this region over the past decades through natural gas extraction. Here, intensive efforts are being made to future-proof the region's historical energy position – with Groningen as the logical home base for the Wind Meets Gas symposium.
North Sea Region Fit for 55?
The first day of the symposium focuses on the role of the North Sea region in achieving a CO2-free energy system in the region by 2050. Can the region, along with its neighboring countries, become a globally leading example of a successful energy transition? The key ingredients for such a position seem to be present, but will the necessary joint strategy be successful in achieving this? Is the North Sea region "fit for 55', after the title of the EU climate plan?
Hydrogen Valley alliances
On the second day of the symposium, experts will discuss the Hydrogen Valley initiatives, which are primarily developing within the European Union. What do these initiatives have in common, and how do they differ? Where are the synergies, and how can duplication and unnecessary competition be avoided? Intensive collaboration appears to be the best approach. Representatives from Hydrogen Valleys will share their practical experiences and explore ways to align interests and establish sustainable, cross-border alliances.
The two-day symposium will take place at the Martinikerk in Groningen, featuring several drop-out sessions and workshops. Participation is by invitation. More information can be found at www.windmeetsgas.com
