For almost two years now, whenever the CARMA-H2 consortium meets in person, the pattern repeats: renewed enthusiasm to collaborate and give our best, and, without fail, torrential rain that keeps us indoors for two days straight (thankfully, the catering is always there to keep morale up).
This time, on 9 and 10 September, our 10 partner organisations were hosted by Shell at the innovative Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam (ETCA) – one of Shell’s three most important research centres worldwide, where Shell hosts more than 20 innovative companies working together on one goal: solving the world’s biggest energy challenges through collaboration, technology and innovation. Among the solutions developed there are sustainable synthetic kerosene, green hydrogen, circular plastics, and 3D printing for on-demand spare parts.
For two days, ETCA also doubled as an “incubator” for CARMA-H2’s own progress. After a visit to the campus, the meeting turned to the project’s latest developments: CoorsTek is moving ahead with production of the bioPMR’s components, while AIN, as project coordinator, is finalising the construction design for the project’s pilot structure, expected around 2028. Mancomunidad de la Comarca de Pamplona will soon start planning the plant’s set-up near the Arazuri site, working alongside partners such as HERA and with NILSA on biogas reactor optimisation.
Cross-cutting activities such as communication by ICONS keep developing too: an interactive video is in the works, letting viewers experience a day at the Arazuri plant and see a simulation of what the bioPMR will be able to do. So, stay tuned to find out more!
As always, a lot of technical detail went into these two days, and if you also wish for quick refresher (partly also to “decipher” some of the terms used in the paragraphs above) our dedicated technology page has you covered.
The next stop for our project meeting will be in January 2027, in Pamplona, Spain; and given the time of year and the altitude, the tradition of arriving drenched by heavy rain will probably continue. But so will our confidence in contributing to a more sustainable and smart hydrogen future for a decarbonised Europe.
Picture courtesy of AIN