Thursday 13 June 2019

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Three members of the Belfast Met GenComm team will have an opportunity to influence European energy policy at European Sustainable Energy Week on June 19. Invited speakers at a session titled ‘Green Hydrogen Decoupling the European Energy Network’ will be Paul McCormack, Belfast Met’s GenComm programme manager, and GenComm partners Dr Rory Monaghan from NUI Galway and Kevin Verleysen, BURN, Brussels. The objective is to show how green hydrogen innovations are working across Europe.

Wind power pilot in Co Antrim part of £9.4m project

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GenComm is a £9.39 million project which will deliver three pilot facilities, one fuelled by solar power in Germany, one by wind power in Co Antrim and one by bioenergy in Scotland. The project will measure their ability to produce and store hydrogen. Its viability as a sustainable energy solution for heat, power and fuel will be examined. The GenComm team will speak at the Residence Palace in Brussels on June 19. This project will demonstrate the use of Smart H2GO, a decision support tool for the sizing and siting of green hydrogen infrastructure. GenComm will also see the establishment of the Europe-wide Community Hydrogen Forum (CH2F). CH2F will be a resource for communities, industry and government who want to explore the use of hydrogen in the energy transition. This annual conference helps shape Europe’s energy future. The secretary general of the European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, Jorgo Chatimarkis, will also speak in the same session as the GenComm team. Belfast Met's Paul McCormack, said: “The EU Sustainable Energy Week is an opportunity to showcase GenComm, Belfast Met and Northern Ireland renewable energy technologies. Northern Ireland is ahead of the renewable energy innovation curve. “This is an EU-wide showcase for GenComm where we can meet the public authorities, energy agencies, industry associations and companies in the one arena. It is also an excellent platform for our own renewable energy project GenComm.”

Latest developments in energy policy

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Between June 18-20 the annual Energy Week will host more than 90 sessions focused on the latest developments in energy policy. Participants can follow any of 12 thematic paths: strategy, buildings, consumers, digitalisation, renewables, finance, energy transition, energy systems, industry, energy poverty, smart cities and transport. A networking village exists during Energy Week in the Residence Palace and the European Commission’s Charlemagne building. Participants can visit the Energy Fair which includes interactive stands from visiting organisations and join the audience of the Energy Lab where eight projects pitch in front of an expert panel of judges. There will be an awards ceremony where the most outstanding projects will be recognised in the categories of engagement, leadership, innovation and youth.