Baltic Offshore Wind Energy to Hydrogen
BOWE2H
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BOWE2H

PROGRAMME 2021-2027
priority
3 Climate-neutral societies
objective
3.2 Energy transition
Project type
Small Project
Implementation
October 2022 - September 2024

BOWE2H

The project BOWE2H connects authorities, policy-makers, researchers, manufacturers and other experts to co-create a roadmap for a joint offshore wind and hydrogen energy system in the region.

The grave threat to global ambitions to keep global temperature rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels means the energy transition must be accelerated whenever possible. While it is generally recognised that the best way to do this is wholesale electrification accompanied with a massive increase in renewable-power generation capacity, this still leaves some unresolved issues: clean renewable-power sources (wind and solar) are intermittent, and there are sectors, such as air transport or steelmaking, which are difficult or impossible to electrify. Moreover, renewable power is often produced far away from industrial or population centres, and existing power-transmission infrastructure has not been built with sufficient capacity to move such high volumes of electricity across such great distances.

Hydrogen is generally recognised as the best – or perhaps only – response to this conundrum, since it can be used both to store surplus energy and directly as fuel for transport or high-intensity industrial processes. If hydrogen-production plants are established near renewable-energy-generation facilities, they can convert excess power to hydrogen, which can be easier to transport or use in nearby industrial plants than pure electricity. The Baltic Sea, which has vast potential for wind-power generation, not least offshore, is a prime candidate region for such a strategy.

The Baltic Sea is densely used and strategically important, especially given the current geopolitical situation and the ongoing threat from Russia. It also has a tradition of cross-border cooperation and transnational networks going back centuries, which has experienced a resurgence since the end of the Cold War. While governments in the Baltic Sea Region each have their own strategies for the expansion of offshore-wind power and hydrogen generation, they also understand that these are best deployed in coordination and cooperation with each other. This fact is reflected by the fact that the region has the highest number of cross-border offshore-wind farms in the world, and more are in the pipeline.

Baltic Offshore Wind Energy to Hydrogen (BOWE2H) aims to create a transnational network and perspective to unite local governments, developers, grid experts, researchers, manufacturers and policymakers. These stakeholders have access to regional knowledge which they need to share with counterparts from other countries to achieve the best results within countries and across borders.

BOWE2H’s stakeholder network hosts six regional expert events, and aims to co-creatively produce a Strategic Roadmap for Regional Offshore Wind and Hydrogen Development. The kick-off and final conference are virtual, while four regional events (including co-creative workshops) are held in big upcoming markets for offshore wind in the Baltic Sea, specifically Poland, Lithuania, Sweden and Germany.

The event network enhances the capacity of stakeholders to act by providing them with an understanding of the necessary policy, grid, investment and research framework for offshore-wind and hydrogen-project development, and by connecting them with other stakeholders to enhance communication, coordination and cooperation. Upon completion, the Strategic Roadmap – built from a metastudy, interviews with expert stakeholders at the physical events and results from the co-creative workshops – will contain an infographic summary to be distributed to the project stakeholders and beyond.

The Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme has been instrumental in making BOWE2H possible. The Interreg brand gives the project a high profile and bolsters interest from stakeholders and decisionmakers at every level, from government agencies and universities to grid operators and the private sector. As such, support from the programme ensures the highest quality of input for BOWE2H’s results, by bringing distinguished speakers and participants to the physical events and getting high-quality information from stakeholders to inform the Strategic Roadmap. This ensures the highest possible relevance and dissemination for the project and its outputs.

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Budgets

BOWE2H
in numbers.
  • 0.47
    Million
    Total
  • 0.38
    Million
    Erdf
  • 0.00
    Million
    Norway
stock.adobe.com/Peter Adams
75 Benefitting organisations 2 Solution(s)in use 19 Organisationsin the project

BOWE2H
in numbers.

  • 52.518368713.4195853
  • 56.950586524.1022499
  • 53.38985218.1350909
  • 56.887582114.7791829
  • 54.687895125.27225266924317
  • 53.430181814.5509623

Project partners

Lead partnerIKEM - Institute for Climate protection, Energy and Mobility
  • Town
    Berlin
  • Region
  • Country
    Germany
  • Region
    Berlin
Total partner budget
121,363.20
Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments
  • Town
    Riga
  • Region
  • Country
    Latvia
  • Region
    Rīga
Total partner budget
46,233.60
German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation
  • Town
    Varel
  • Region
  • Country
    Germany
  • Region
    Friesland (DE)
Total partner budget
92,467.20
Energy Agency for Southern Sweden
  • Town
    VÄXJÖ
  • Region
  • Country
    Sweden
  • Region
    Kronobergs län
Total partner budget
92,652.14
Public Institution Lithuanian Energy Agency
  • Town
    Vilnius
  • Region
  • Country
    Lithuania
  • Region
    Vilniaus apskritis
Total partner budget
42,380.80
Polish Wind Energy Association
  • Town
    Szczecin
  • Region
  • Country
    Poland
  • Region
    Miasto Szczecin
Total partner budget
77,980.67

Contacts

Events

No upcoming events
    17
    April
    Offshore-wind power and hydrogen in Sweden and Denmark
    Project: BOWE2H
    Physical Meeting
    17. April 2024
    09:15 - 15:30 (CEST)
    25
    January
    Offshore wind and hydrogen developments in Lithuania and Latvia
    Project: BOWE2H
    Physical Meeting
    25. January 2024
    08:45 - 16:30 (EET)
    29
    September
    Offshore wind and hydrogen in Poland: future or myth
    Project: BOWE2H
    Physical Meeting
    29. September 2023
    09:30 - 16:00 (CEST)
    22
    May
    Offshore wind and hydrogen in Germany: national and transnational innovation
    Project: BOWE2H
    Physical Meeting
    22. May 2023
    13:00 - 18:00 (CEST)
    14
    February
    BOWE2H Kick-off event: Regional offshore wind and green hydrogen in the Baltic Sea
    Project: BOWE2H
    Virtual Meeting
    14. February 2023
    09:00 - 12:00 (CET)

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