EIC podcast: Renewable energy - is hydrogen the answer?
- ›The European Innovation Council released Episode 2 of its podcast series asking whether hydrogen can deliver a sustainable energy transition.
- ›Guests include Francesco Matteucci from the EIC, Indraneel Sen from Ångström Laboratory, and Rachel Armstrong from KU Leuven.
- ›The episode examines hydrogen's potential, production pathways, materials and architectural applications, and the EIC's role in scaling deep tech.
- ›The podcast is aimed at university researchers and deep tech start-ups and is available on the EIC site, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- ›A balanced view is needed because hydrogen has promise for some uses but faces efficiency, cost, infrastructure and market challenges.
Renewable energy: is hydrogen the answer?
On 26 October 2022 the European Innovation Council published the second episode of its podcast series The game changers: from radical idea to innovative business. The episode looks at hydrogen and its potential contribution to a sustainable energy system. The series uses interviews with EIC Programme Managers and external experts to explain how deep tech moves from lab to market and what support is available through EIC instruments.
Who is on the episode and who the series is for
| Name | Role on episode | Institution or EIC role |
| Francesco Matteucci | Guest and EIC Programme Manager | EIC Programme Manager for Advanced Materials for Energy and Environmental Sustainability |
| Indraneel Sen | Guest, project coordinator | Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory |
| Rachel Armstrong | Guest, academic expert | Professor for Regenerative Architecture, KU Leuven |
The podcast targets university-based projects and game-changing tech companies that are exploring or already developing deep-tech solutions. Each episode features an EIC Programme Manager who provides sector insight and discusses the EIC's hands-on approach to helping deep tech scale. Episode 1 of the series looked at eliminating space debris with innovative technologies.
What the episode covers
The conversation focuses on hydrogen's role in creating a sustainable energy system. Speakers discuss different production routes and materials challenges, potential end uses such as industrial feedstock or seasonal energy storage, and the kinds of research and demonstration work the EIC supports. The episode also touches on interdisciplinary angles, including architecture and systems-level thinking from a regenerative design perspective.
| Hydrogen type | Typical production | Main advantages | Principal challenges |
| Green hydrogen | Electrolysis with renewable electricity | Low lifecycle carbon if the electricity is renewable | High cost, large electricity demand, limited electrolyser manufacturing capacity |
| Blue hydrogen | Fossil fuel conversion with carbon capture | Uses existing fossil value chains, lower CO2 than grey if capture is effective | Residual emissions, reliance on carbon transport and storage infrastructure, potential lock-in to fossil fuels |
| Grey hydrogen | Steam methane reforming without CCS | Lowest current cost and established infrastructure | High CO2 emissions, not compatible with long term climate goals |
Why hydrogen matters and where it makes sense
Hydrogen is attractive because it is an energy carrier that can store and transport energy, and it is already an industrial feedstock. It is particularly relevant where direct electrification is difficult. Promising applications include heavy industry such as steelmaking, chemical feedstocks, long haul shipping, aviation fuels after conversion, and seasonal energy storage at grid scale. For light passenger vehicles and many heating uses, direct electrification with batteries or heat pumps is often more efficient and cheaper.
What the EIC can and cannot do
The EIC supports early stage, high risk deep tech across research and commercialisation pathways. Programme Managers like Francesco Matteucci build and steward portfolios of projects and help create shared roadmaps for technology development. EIC instruments include Pathfinder grants for breakthrough research, Transition grants for moving innovations closer to market, and Accelerator support and blended finance for scaling. The EIC can help de-risk technologies, provide coaching and business support, and in some cases help connect projects to co-investment through the EIC Fund.
A cautious view: limits and risks to hydrogen adoption
Hydrogen has real potential but it is not a silver bullet. Electrolysis and reconversion have energy losses which reduce overall system efficiency compared with direct electrification. Large scale adoption requires investment in electrolysers, renewable generation, hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure and safety systems. There is a risk of public and private capital being spent on suboptimal blue hydrogen routes that perpetuate fossil fuel infrastructure. Market design, certification for low carbon hydrogen and international trade rules remain incomplete. Start-ups face long timelines and capital intensity for demonstration projects which elevates technology and financing risk.
Practical implications for innovators and funders
Innovators should be explicit about the use case they target and why hydrogen is the best technical and economic solution for that use. Developers must show how their technology performs at scale and addresses system integration issues including materials durability, safety, supply chain and lifecycle emissions. Funders and policy makers should prioritise demonstration projects that prove whole system economics and enable learning, and they should avoid locking in interim solutions that prevent later low carbon outcomes.
How to listen and where to find more
Episode 2 of The game changers is available on the European Innovation Council website. The series is also published on common streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Listeners who missed Episode 1 can catch the earlier conversation on space debris and innovative mitigation technologies.
Context from the wider EU innovation ecosystem
Europe has policy frameworks to support hydrogen through the EU Hydrogen Strategy and funding under Horizon Europe and national recovery plans. The innovation challenge is to combine ambitious demonstration funding with industrial policy that builds supply chains and electrolysis capacity, while ensuring transparency on lifecycle emissions. The EIC is an important piece of the funding landscape for high risk deep tech but it must work in concert with other EU instruments, national programmes and private investors to move technologies through demonstration to commercial uptake.
The episode is useful as an accessible introduction to hydrogen possibilities and the role of research, materials science and cross discipline thinking. It is valuable for researchers and founders who want to understand where the EIC can add value. It is also a reminder that technology alone will not deliver decarbonisation without realistic assessments of costs, system impacts and suitable market structures.