A popular initiative bill on energy transition for Italy: it was presented last January at a conference in the Sala Isma of the Senate, organised by the Fondazione H2U The Hydrogen University and Maurizio Buccarella, deputy chairman of the Mixed Group in the Senate, under the patronage of Anci (Associazione nazionale comune italiani). The text aims to align Italy with other countries that have bet on the transition from fossil fuels towards renewable and clean energy, with a particular focus on hydrogen.

Hydrogen at the heart of the energy transition

For Nicola Conenna, president of the Fondazione H2U The Hydrogen University, hydrogen truly is the energy of the future. What are its advantages? As described in the proposal, hydrogen is produced exclusively from renewable sources, is completely clean and free of climate-altering emissions. It can also be stored, kept for long periods, and transported over long distances and in large quantities. In recent years, fuel cell technology has taken giant strides, and in the coming years it is forecast to become competitive on cost as well. Fuel cells are lightweight (weighing around 10–15 kilograms), and a full tank of hydrogen — 100–150 litres, weighing 5–8 kilograms — takes three minutes to fill and delivers a range of 600–800 kilometres.

The future of hydrogen

The Hydrogen Council, which brings together more than 50 companies ranging from carmakers to energy suppliers, forecasts more than 10 million hydrogen-powered cars by 2030, a presence that translates into a 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. Among the countries investing most heavily in this form of energy is undoubtedly Japan — with Toyota set to be capable of producing 30,000 hydrogen cars a year by 2020 — and South Korea. In Europe, 3,000 hydrogen vehicles are currently on the road, served by 150 filling stations, only one of which is located in Italy, in Bolzano.

The content of the bill

The bill therefore aims specifically to place on the political agenda strategies and investments for environmental protection, decarbonisation (through, for example, a carbon tax to fund the energy transition, or a ban on registering cars with internal combustion engines from 2025), the development of hydrogen infrastructure through a Piano nazionale idrogeno providing for funding of 100 million euros over the first three years, and the creation of new job opportunities linked to the energy transition and the green economy more broadly.