HYDROGEN

Mr. Minařík, you are the director of

the MS Hydrogen Cluster. Could you

introduce this group to us?

The Moravian-Silesian Hydrogen Cluster

is a group of people and companies

that do business with hydrogen while

also presenting examples of how

this energy source may be used in

everyday life. It more or less provides

an open communication pathway for

the optimisation of all the hydrogen

programs within the region. Hydrogen

has been around for a relatively long

time, however, now the MS region has

begun making use of it commercially

by, for example, implementing it into

electromobility, the decarbonization of

industry and so on. We cannot afford to

miss out on this technology. Hydrogen

is shaping up to be the new commodity

in replacing fossil fuels, as well as a

powerful reaction to increasing energy

demands. Hydrogen can even create

new ways to deliver energy to end-users.

Within the EU, regions that support

and are actively involved in hydrogen

technologies are called hydrogen

valleys. Our Moravian--Silesian hydrogen

valley also handles cooperation from

bordering countries, legislature, logistical

and technological support, sustainable

energy, climate change, and the like.

How would you assess the current state

of hydrogen mobility in our region?

What are the main steps you have

taken to promote this direction? Is

there anything that you are particularly

proud of?

The cluster was established last autumn,

but the first activities that preceded

this establishment date back to 2018.

A memorandum between the region and

the City of Ostrava outlined the concept

of how to integrate hydrogen into public

transport. The first questions that had to be

dealt with were: where will I get hydrogen,

how much will it cost, when can I get it, etc.

We have the necessary technology, and we

can also design and build it. The cluster was

created to enable the region to manage

this effectively, with the main objective

being the integration of hydrogen into

both regional and urban public transport.

The implementation of these technologies

creates demand for hydrogen mobility,

which drives interest in the production as

well consumption of hydrogen, culminating

in the creation of an entirely new segment

within our economy. Furthermore, by

grasping the potential hydrogen offers,

the region is also moving further towards

decreasing our carbon footprint, which

includes making public transport more

ecological. No other region is as far along

as ours, as regional transport has already

largely switched from diesel to CNG. And

hydrogen should be the next step. This, of

course, requires professional discussion,

including the education of all those who

are to be involved in these projects. That is

one of our tasks.

Without hydrogen, we most likely won't

be able to manage in the future. What

is the main reason for this?

Gone are the days when the Czech

Republic had industry as its main source

of CO2 emissions. Today, the biggest

carbon emitter is transport, and this

needs to be addressed urgently. In the

MS region, it is not just a choice between

battery and hydrogen buses - it is almost

certain that hydrogen will be widely used

in industry here, even more so than in

transport. But even the synergy effect

alone is not negligible, in fact, it is key.

There will be large production capacities,

import capacities and sufficient demand.

Such a concept is not necessary for all

regions, e.g. those with little industry.

There is no significant need.

Hydrogen has been

“around

for a relatively

long time, however, now the

MS region has begun making

use of it commercially by,

for example, implementing

it into electromobility,

the decarbonization

of industry and so on.

”

We consider hydrogen to be green

energy. Will we have enough of it

in the future?

It is gratifying that the region is beginning

to see hydrogen as a strategic opportunity

of differentiating itself from other

regions, as well as a means of securing

the next step in the transformation after the decline of the mining industry.

Ideally, we want green energy and we

need to have enough of it - hydrogen is an

option here. The problem with humanity

is that we are good at dealing with the

tangible, such as fuels, but dealing with

the intangible, such as energy, is currently

a problem. We are not good at managing

and storing electricity. Hydrogen as

an energy carrier can be handled very

comfortably. It can store energy from

renewable sources.

How can we prepare the next generations

to continue what we have started?

What they need is quality information to educate themselves and learn from

countries that have up to 30 years of

experience with hydrogen. When I

used to work at British Universities, the

history of their experience was clear:

you have the goal, the curriculum, the

education, the thesis, the PhDs, the

research direction, you have strong

leadership as well as a clear goal:

making use of research in commercial

products. We have people who

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