The University of Évora (UÉ) announced that producing renewable hydrogen in Sines, using it in buildings and mobility in the Alentejo region, and creating an energy community in the Algarve are among the initiatives planned as part of an international project.
In a statement, the university highlighted that the initiative “aims to create a ‘hydrogen valley in the Alentejo,’ leveraging existing infrastructure and new investments to develop and test solutions across the entire value chain.”
The project seeks to “move from research and planning to the demonstration of concrete applications, evaluating on the ground how renewable hydrogen can be integrated into local transport, buildings, and energy systems,” the statement added.
Launched in 2024 and scheduled to run until 2030, the H2tALENT project brings together 29 partners from seven countries—including universities, companies, municipalities, technology centres, and public entities—with a total budget of nine million euros.
According to the UÉ, mobility will be one of the areas where the technology is tested; plans include supporting the conversion of municipal and public service vehicle fleets to hydrogen-powered systems in Alandroal, in the district of Évora.
In Évora, the institution noted, the focus will be on using hydrogen for heating buildings. Planned demonstrations include using a hydrogen-natural gas blending system at the municipal swimming pool.
On the island of Culatra, in the Algarve, the project will include a component focused on developing a renewable energy community, featuring hydrogen energy storage and its integration with smart grids.
The system will produce renewable hydrogen using excess electricity generated during periods of peak solar production; this hydrogen will then be stored and used to generate electricity again during times of high demand and lower solar output, it was noted.
According to the university, these initiatives complement the renewable hydrogen—also known as “green” hydrogen—production component in Sines, in the Setúbal district, where a 15-megawatt electrolyser facility is planned.
“The renewable hydrogen produced can subsequently be injected into the natural gas grid and/or transported to various end-use locations, making it possible to test an entire chain—from production and transport to storage and consumption,” it stated.
Hugo Gonçalves Silva, a physics professor at the University of Évora (UÉ) and coordinator of H2tALENT, told the press release that the project aims to “span everything from the production of renewable hydrogen to its transport and use, covering the entire value chain.”
Overall, the UÉ highlighted that “the project anticipates the production of over 500 tons of renewable hydrogen per year, intended for various applications across industry, mobility, and buildings.”
The European Commission’s Horizon program funds H2tALENT through the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.