The Balkan Hydrogen Cluster (BVC), in partnership with seven organizations from Italy, Belgium, Poland, Ireland, and Spain, has begun implementing a project under the “HORIZON-JTI-CLEANH2” Program.
Dubbed “HYPOP” (an acronym for “HYdrOgen Public OPiniOn and accePtance”), the initiative aims to bolster public awareness and confidence in hydrogen technologies and their systemic benefits. This significant endeavor was praised by the European Commission jury for its importance at regional, national, and European levels.
Officially launched on June 1, the HYPOP project kicked off its actual implementation phase just recently. Scheduled to run for two years, the project will focus on several initiatives spearheaded by each of the project partners.
One of the key objectives is to prepare guidelines and best practices that will more effectively identify how citizens, end-users, and stakeholders can participate in the deployment of hydrogen technologies. In addition, the project will create an information web portal designed to provide citizens with easy access to hydrogen-related information, thereby increasing awareness of hydrogen applications, their effectiveness, and efficiency in both public and private sectors.
The BVC, collaborating with all HYPOP project partners, will contribute to defining indicators for assessing the social lifecycle of hydrogen technologies, not just in Bulgaria, but across the Balkan Peninsula and Europe as a whole. This is crucial as the potential benefits of hydrogen technologies are vast, from providing a renewable source of energy that can help mitigate climate change, to potentially driving economic growth in the energy sector.
The implementation of the HYPOP project is a vital stride forward in the effort to transform public opinion and acceptance of hydrogen technologies. The outcome of this project could well influence the speed and extent of hydrogen technology adoption in the region, and potentially, across Europe. Therefore, the HYPOP initiative is not merely a project but a path toward a sustainable future fueled by clean energy.
