EUKI Interview: Advancing Hydrogen Technologies for a Sustainable Energy Future

Could you explain the goals of your project in simple terms, perhaps as you would to a non-expert audience or even children?

The main goal of the RenewStart for Hydrogen Technologies project is to raise awareness about mitigating climate change by promoting the integration of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, with hydrogen technology.

Hydrogen is the most common element in the world. In a bound form it occurs, such as in water or hydrocarbons. Currently, large-scale hydrogen production is burdened with the creation of CO₂ emissions. It is widely used in the production i.e. of fertilizers, in the petrochemical industry or as a refrigerant. Hydrogen is important for the future of energy because it is one of the key instruments for the decarbonisation. This means that by replacing “grey” hydrogen with low emission hydrogen and implementing this carrier in industrial processes, it is possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. On the other hand, reduced greenhouse gas emissions lead to improved air quality and a better quality of life of people. Hydrogen can also be used as an energy storage media to reduce curtailment of renewable energy sources. The production of alternative fuels based on hydrogen and carbon dioxide captured from process or directly from air can aid in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Among other things, the project is designed to promote systems that allow the generation of clean, low-emission hydrogen.

Ewa Andruszków holds the position of engineering specialist in environmental and technical-economic analyses at the Institute of Power Engineering – National Research Institute (IEN-PIB).  She is involved in several international projects, such as RenewStart for Hydrogen Technology and HySPARK: Hydrogen Solutions for euroPean Airports & Regional Kinetics.
Ms. Andruszków graduated from Wrocław University of Science and Technology in the field of Environmental Engineering and holds an MBA degree. She has participated in and co-organised many national and international events related to the RES and hydrogen technologies, e.g., PCHET in Gdynia, European Hydrogen Week in Brussels, Nordic Hydrogen Valley Conference in Luleå. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the Warsaw University of Technology. The topic of the doctoral thesis concerns “Investigations into the influence of impurities and water quality on the hydrogen generation process in solid oxide electrolysis”.

Given the ongoing studies on renewable energy and hydrogen potential in your project countries Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Albania, how does the project plan to address infrastructure gaps, particularly in hydrogen production and storage?

In order to precisely answer that question, it is necessary to distinguish between several issues. Poland is Europe’s third-largest and the world’s fifth-largest producer of hydrogen. While it is admittedly the emission generating hydrogen production, however, the infrastructure for hydrogen production and storage exists. Regarding the infrastructure for the production of low-emissions hydrogen, which is based on the electrolysis process, there are already installations of this type in Poland. The next report and analysis, which we will develop with our partners from Lithuania, Bulgaria and Albania, will focus on mapping existing facilities and identifying barriers related to the development of hydrogen installations. In conjunction with the previous report, which focused on renewable energy sources, it will enable us to release the potential for hydrogen installations in each country and develop recommendations that will serve to accelerate their construction. The aim of the project is to identify the challenges that may arise in the implementation of this type of investment. It is very important for us to present the success stories and the best practices, which will identify solutions to the challenges ahead. Key in this case will be the exchange of knowledge, experience and different points of view with various stakeholder groups, such as industry, public administration, NGOs or academia.

At the EUKI Networking Event in Warsaw, there was a strong emphasis on addressing public skepticism about climate policies and effectively communicating the benefits of the green transition. How does your project tackle similar challenges in building public awareness and trust around hydrogen solutions?

During the course of the project, we plan to have meetings and workshops for different stakeholders. Understanding the seriousness and necessity of changes related to climate policy will allow us to reduce and ultimately eliminate the fears that today constitute one of the main barriers to the development of new technologies. There are many myths related to hydrogen that need to be replaced by the knowledge and experience of experts, which we certainly possess. Understanding and familiarisation the public with functioning installations and experiences will help reduce resistance within the local communities. For us, as experts and researchers, it will be a challenge to adapt the language to the audience, and it will require patience, as this is a long-term process.

Poland, as the third-largest hydrogen producer in Europe, has a significant role to play in advancing hydrogen technologies, particularly in decarbonising energy, transport, and industry while fostering cross-border cooperation. How does collaboration between Albania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Poland help improve the position of all four countries in the global hydrogen economy?

That’s true. Poland has many years of cumulative experience and unique knowledge related to hydrogen technologies. Drawing on these best practices and benefitting from the lessons learned will enable other countries to implement hydrogen technologies more quickly, based on proven solutions. The renewable energy market in each country is slightly different. Countries are also characterised by a differentiated mentality which makes the horizon of opportunities for spreading knowledge very wide. This makes it possible to reach a variety of audiences. Cross-border cooperation will help level the playing field and provide insight into the challenges countries face in developing low-emission technologies.

By the project’s conclusion in March 2026, what key milestones do you hope to achieve, both in terms of the project’s goals and in alignment with your own motivation and vision? What does this project mean to you personally?

One key milestone is to build awareness of hydrogen and its role in the transformation by qualitative materials and connection of different stakeholders. In addition, an important goal will be to conduct engaging and inspiring meetings with the audience, which will be based on discussion and exchange of experiences rather than simply delivering a lecture.

For me personally, this project offers an opportunity to build an international network of contacts, and to learn about different viewpoints related to the implementation of clean technologies. The project also challenges me with requirement to communicate effectively with different audiences, across various sectors. I hope that this project will allow us to make hydrogen technologies more interesting and that it will encourage the audience to explore different methods of decarbonising the energy sector, transportation or industry, ultimately helping them realise that science can truly be fascinating yet resulting in solid changes in economy.

Thank you, Ewa, for taking the time to share your insights. We’re excited to see how the project further unfolds!