The Toyota Mobility Foundation, in collaboration with the National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW GmbH), has launched an online platform called “H2Scout” to promote the integration of hydrogen into the regional energy transition.
The open-source platform provides a comprehensive analysis of alternative and cost-effective infrastructure systems for the provision of hydrogen from locally available resources such as renewable energy, water, and organic residues.
The H2Scout aims to optimize energy supply security by providing specific demand curves from different sectors on an hourly basis. Regional decision-makers can access the tool to better understand the effects of different framework conditions and assumptions, from costs and profitability to space requirements and regional added value to climate and environmental protection effects.
The tool can be accessed at https://h2scout.eu/ and offers ten significant system indicators, providing a first impression of possible risks and adjustments in resource use, energy and climate strategies, and willingness to accept. The H2Scout helps users to visualize and understand the integration of hydrogen into the regional energy transition.
The H2Scout prototype was developed by Spilett (concept), BBH Consulting (energy system modelling), Münster University of Applied Sciences and the Energielandwerkern (regional configuration in Steinfurt), Energieland2050 (Steinfurt stakeholders in the regional energy transition), and ENDA (software implementation).
According to Andy Fuchs, head of the Toyota Mobility Foundation in Europe, the tool is an important step towards making hydrogen a key player in the energy transition. The H2Scout supports regional decision-makers in evaluating alternative infrastructure systems for the provision of hydrogen from locally available resources.
Kurt Christoph von Knobelsdorff, CEO, and spokesperson for NOW GmbH, expressed his delight in the collaboration with Toyota Mobility Foundation, saying that the H2Scout aligns with the HyLand program’s regional approach to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The scenario calculator is a tool that regions can use to calculate the application potential of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
The H2Scout represents a significant step towards the integration of hydrogen into the energy transition. It has the potential to create significant environmental and economic benefits, with the potential to support sustainable regional development.
