Strengthening Collaboration: PEACE and CLEANHYPRO session

On 12 February, during the PEACE project meeting, a dedicated networking and knowledge-sharing session with the CLEANHYPRO project was hosted, bringing together two complementary Horizon Europe initiatives advancing Europe’s hydrogen landscape.

This marked the second joint networking session between the two projects, providing an opportunity to exchange updates on the latest results, milestones, and strategic developments.

Advancing Dual-Stage High-Pressure AEL Technology

The PEACE Project Coordinator, Fatemeh Razmjooei from German Aerospace Center (DLR), presented the project’s pathway towards demonstrating its dual-stage high-pressure alkaline electrolysis (AEL) technology.

Key progress areas include:

• Pressurised cell qualification
• Short-stack assembly
• Advanced simulation modelling

The PEACE project aims to reduce the cost of green hydrogen production by advancing high-pressure AEL technology, contributing to Europe’s clean energy transition and industrial decarbonisation goals.

Accelerating Market Uptake Through an Open Innovation Test Bed

Bart Goes from TECNALIA, Coordinator of CLEANHYPRO, introduced the project’s Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) for electrolysis materials and components.

The OITB framework will:

• Provide access to facilities and services through a Single Entry Point
• Support European companies in validating and scaling up electrolysis technologies
• Integrate nine pilot lines contributing to the hydrogen manufacturing ecosystem

By focusing on technology validation and acceleration, CLEANHYPRO plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between innovation and market deployment.

Complementary Roles Within the Hydrogen Ecosystem

The session clearly highlighted the complementary nature of the two initiatives:

PEACE – a research-driven project advancing dual-stage high-pressure AEL technology to reduce the cost of green hydrogen production, funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership​

CLEANHYPRO – a market-oriented initiative supporting technology validation and acceleration through its OITB framework, funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency

Together, they represent two essential pillars of Europe’s hydrogen strategy: cutting-edge research and scalable industrial deployment. A bridge between the two projects is the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU):

• In CLEANHYPRO, BTU provides testing of high-pressure AEL cells and stacks.
• In PEACE, BTU will host and test the demonstrator of the dual-stage high-pressure AEL technology.

This shared involvement further strengthens synergies between research development and practical validation under real-world conditions.

The exchange reinforced the importance of aligning research excellence with market deployment capabilities. By connecting complementary strengths across projects, Europe moves one step closer to scalable, cost-effective hydrogen solutions.