The BalticSeaH2 project podcast is out! Why does hydrogen matter now, and what will decide whether it really scales?🎙️

The Hydrogen Valley Podcast is part of the BalticSeaH2 project and focuses on the conditions that shape the hydrogen economy in practice. The podcast looks at hydrogen beyond targets and announcements, with discussions on technology readiness, regulation, infrastructure, investments, and system-level choices that determine whether hydrogen can move from plans to implementation.

The first episodes will answer questions like:

• Why are the opportunities for the hydrogen economy emerging now, and not ten years ago?
• What applications does hydrogen genuinely make sense for – and where does it not? 
• Why do investment decisions take time?

The first two episodes are available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Find more information and episode descriptions on BalticSeaH2 website.

Episode 1

Why has hydrogen been used for decades, yet the hydrogen economy is only now taking shape? 🎙️

Hydrogen has long been part of industrial processes, but its role in energy and industrial transition discussions has expanded significantly in recent years.

Episode 1 of the Hydrogen Valley Podcast focuses on what has changed around hydrogen. Not the molecule itself, but the surrounding system. Energy markets, policy frameworks, technology development, and industrial demand now intersect in ways that were not in place before.

The discussion looks at why hydrogen is increasingly considered at system level and what conditions need to be in place for it to scale beyond established industrial use.

🎧 Guests in this episode:

Mika Järvinen, Associate Professor from Aalto University discusses what makes hydrogen technically different from other energy carriers and why scale changes the challenge.

Simo Säynevirta, Head of H2 Springboard ecosystem at ABB, explains how low-cost renewable electricity has reshaped where hydrogen makes sense.

Samuel Cross, PhD, Coordinator of Aalto University Hydrogen Innovation Center, looks at why hydrogen now addresses sectors that cannot be electrified directly and why earlier cost barriers mattered.

The episode places hydrogen in its system context and focuses on conditions rather than promises.

Episode 2

Are hydrogen projects overhyped, or do large industrial investments simply take time? 🎙️

Hydrogen projects are often described as delayed or uncertain. Episode 2 widens the lens and questions whether hydrogen is being judged differently from other large industrial transitions.

Hydrogen is sometimes described as the champagne of the green transition. Useful in the right context, but not something you would use to wash windows. That question runs through the episode. Where does hydrogen actually make sense economically, and where does it not?

In Episode 2 of the Hydrogen Valley Podcast, the discussion focuses on regulation, incentives, and investment decisions, and on why timelines matter.

🎧 Guests in this episode:

Christian Langen, Executive in Residence at Aalto University, discusses why long investment timelines are a normal feature of major industrial projects, not a hydrogen-specific problem.

Janne Peljo, Chief Policy Adviser at EK – Finnish Confederation of Industries, explains how regulation and incentives shape investment decisions and why predictability matters more than speed.

Jan Feller, CEO of the German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce, looks at hydrogen from an investor and industry perspective and asks where hydrogen genuinely makes sense, and where simpler solutions might do. Sometimes choosing hydrogen everywhere is like reaching for champagne where water would do.

The episode highlights the importance of realism, clear use cases, and stable frameworks when building new industrial value chains.

🔗 You can find these and upcoming episodes on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts. As well as direct links from the BalticSeaH2 podcast page.

The event was focused on “Hydrogen: From ambition to reality” and was aimed at expanding professional networks within the hydrogen space as well as building on NEW members’ understanding of the green hydrogen opportunities and challenges, technology, and value chain.

CEO Vibeke Østlyngen was in attendance and had this to say about it:

It was a powerful afternoon at Worley Rosenberg last week when 80+ women gathered to discuss the green hydrogen opportunities and challenges, technology and value chain.

Main takeaways:

• We need common policies and regulations to standardise
• The European hydrogen market is growing — slowly but steadily
• Cost must come down, and it must be more expensive to pollute – CO2 pricing will be a gamechanger

Special thanks to Oriana Duran and Worley Rosenberg for hosting the event and to the NEW initiative for organizing, together with Women in Green Hydrogen.

➡️ The New Energy Women (NEW) initiative is a cooperation between ABB and some of the energy clusters in Norway: H2Cluster, Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster, Energy Valley, and Fornybar Norge.

Additional takeaways

H2Cluster also took part in the event and had these key points:

🔺 Trust among stakeholders is critical to mature projects.

🔺 Concerns around the slow pace of project development in Europe.

🔺 Global momentum is strong: Brazil, Australia, North Africa, China, and the Middle East are moving fast.

🔺 Chinese electrolyzer OEMs offering CAPEX benefits that may outweigh European subsidies.

Want to get involved?

Stay tuned for the next New Energy Women gathering coming up as we will visit Rystad Energy in Oslo.

Recap in pictures

Did you miss the event? Here are a few of our favourite pictures from the event:

Together with Capgemini, Energy Valley was proud to host an event focused on the electricity crisis and its impact on industry at this year’s Arendalsuka.

The problem: Norway’s electricity grid doesn’t have the capacity to meet the demand from new industries, electrification, and the green transition. This is resulting in delayed investments, high prices, and — in the worst cases — power outages.

Multiple reports (including Riksrevisjonen’s “Kapasiteten i strømnettet“) have confirmed: we need more capacity, a better grid, and smarter solutions. But how do we get there?

The hour-long event was split into two panels and took a look at the situation surrounding Norway’s power system, tackling topics such as:

• What the authorities are doing to ensure sufficient grid capacity
• Whether digital control, local production, and battery technology can give industry greater flexibility
• Whether small, modular reactors are part of the solution… or merely a distraction
• How software, data, and AI can be used to optimize energy usage

During the lively event, participants delved into what was more than just a debate. It was a conversation about the future of Norwegian industry, technology, and green growth.

Key takeaways

Energy Valley’s Knut Linnerud wrapped up the event with a summary of some of the key points made:

• Firstly, the session clearly demonstrated that the challenges in the power system are significant… but they are NOT insurmountable and the solutions are already well known.
• Yara emphasized that expanding the grid is absolutely crucial for continued industrial development.
• At the same time, Morrow highlighted how battery technology can contribute to power balance and flexibility within the system.
• A key starting point for Norway is that we already possess a form of “battery capacity” through our water reservoirs, which is equivalent to millions of car batteries. This gives us a unique opportunity to further balance power in collaboration with Europe, ensuring more stability and affordable access to electricity.
• Effective power balancing is the key to succeeding in the transition to renewable energy and securing sufficient electricity. Everything is interconnected (as Gro Harlem Brundtland notably said in the context of climate challenges) and the ability to execute is critical.
• Coordinated, concrete plans and actions are required between industry, the energy sector, and government.

We’d like to issue a big THANK YOU to all who participated in the event and those who came out to watch it live. If you missed the event (or would like a reminder of it) take a look at the slideshow below.

Participants

Gry Helene Pettersen – Vice President, Capgemini Invent

Annette Gohn-Hellum – Ekspedisjonssjef, Riksrevisjonen

Anne Sagstuen Nysæther – Administrerende direktør, Elvia

Morrow Batteries – Lars Christian Backer, Administrerende direktør, Morrow Batteries

Inga Nordberg – Direktør Energi og konsesjon, NVE

Ole-Jakob Siljan – VP and Head of Yara Technology center and Yara Porsgrunn, Yara International

John Olav Tande – SVP R&D and Innovation, Statnett

Lene Westgaard-Halle – Stortingsrepresentant, Høyre

Sigurd Rafaelsen – Stortingsrepresentant, Ap

Knut Linnerud – EU Advisor, Energy Valley

Recap in pictures

Did you miss the event? Check out our slideshow: