September 9, 2021 11:00am EDT
The statistical analysis provided by the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that the Total Energy Supply (TES) grew by about 130% from 1973 to 2018 with a substantially unchanged percentage of coal utilization, a reduction of oil from 46.2% to 31.6%, a significant increase of natural gas and nuclear power, and a growing, but still marginal, use of renewable sources. Moreover, the global energy demand is expected to increase by 4.6% in 2021. Demand for all fossil fuels is set to grow significantly in 2021, and coal demand alone is projected to increase by 60% more than all renewables combined, implying a rise in emissions of almost 5%.
According to the recent report “Climate change 2021 – Physical Science basis” prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the average global temperature is likely to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level by 2040 and continue to warm for another ten years. However, it is still possible to limit further warming by mid-century, which would be catastrophic for the planet, by accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Technology will be the key to accelerating this transition. In particular, hydrogen-based technologies will play an increasing and crucial role. In the short term, until 2030, hydrogen will progressively become competitive in selected applications, such as chemistry, mobility, oil refining; in the long term, up to 2050, it can support the decarbonization effort together with other low-carbon technologies, especially in the “hard-to-abate” sectors, such as energy-intensive manufacturing processes.
Join us and our Italian and US experts from the industrial and academic fields and from institutions responsible for defining energy policies, to discuss the perspectives of Hydrogen Technologies, with a focus on the aspects most concerning Italy and the USA.
Mariangela ZAPPIA, Ambassador of Italy to the U.S. will open the event, together with Sunita SATYAPAL, Director – Director of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office at the Department of Energy.
The roundtable will see the participation of five prominent experts: Robert C. ARMSTRONG, Director – MIT Energy Initiative, Rod BORUP, Fuel Cell Program Manager – Los Alamos National Laboratory, Andrea PISANO, Head – Energy Evolution Integrated Initiatives – ENI, Cosma PANZACCHI, Head – Hydrogen Business Unit USA – SNAM, and Filippo BARTOLONI, Head of Green Hydrogen Projects Development at ENEL Green Power.
Rachel FRAZIN from The Hill will moderate the event.
