Review to ERIG Webinar Series at EUSEW 2026
Advancing Hydrogen from Regional Initiatives to Integrated Energy Systems
As part of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026, ERIG – European Research Institute for Gas and Energy Innovation, in collaboration with the Ready4H2 initiative, successfully hosted a three-day webinar series titled “Hydrogen for a Sustainable Energy Transition: From Regional Infrastructures to Advanced Applications”.
Bringing together experts from European research projects, infrastructure operators, and industry stakeholders, the series provided a comprehensive overview of the current state and future direction of hydrogen development across Europe.
From regional ecosystems to European system integration
The webinar series followed a structured narrative, reflecting the evolution of the hydrogen economy:
- Regional Hydrogen Clusters and Valleys
The first session highlighted how local and regional initiatives are translating European strategies into concrete projects. Hydrogen valleys and regional clusters serve as hubs where industry, research and public authorities collaborate to accelerate deployment and enable real-life applications. - Hydrogen Backbone and Distribution Grids
The second session focused on the critical role of infrastructure, particularly gas distribution networks, in enabling hydrogen to reach end users across sectors. Discussions emphasised the need to adapt existing infrastructure and ensure system-wide integration to support large-scale deployment.
Advanced Hydrogen Applications
The third session explored emerging applications, including liquid hydrogen, and their role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy transport, maritime and aviation.
Key insights and takeaways
Across all sessions, several key messages emerged:
- The hydrogen transition is increasingly focused on system integration rather than isolated pilot projects
- Regional implementation and European coordination must go hand in hand to ensure scalability and resilience
- Existing infrastructure plays a central role in enabling cost-efficient hydrogen deployment
- Collaboration across projects, sectors and countries is essential to accelerate market uptake and avoid fragmentation
The discussions also highlighted the importance of aligning research, infrastructure planning and policy frameworks to ensure that hydrogen can effectively contribute to Europe’s climate neutrality goals.
Strengthening collaboration across the hydrogen value chain
A central objective of the webinar series was to foster collaboration across the hydrogen ecosystem — from regional initiatives to European-level infrastructure and advanced technological applications.
By bringing together projects such as HEAVENN, Hy2Market, ELEVATEcee, Ready4H2, NavHyS, DelHyVEHR and others, the series enabled knowledge exchange, showcased lessons learned and identified opportunities for replication and scaling across Europe.
Outlook
The EUSEW webinar series demonstrated that Europe’s hydrogen transition is entering a new phase — one defined by integration, coordination and large-scale implementation.
ERIG will continue to support this process by facilitating dialogue, aligning research priorities, and contributing to the development of a coherent and resilient European hydrogen system.