I International Forum “Hydrogen Technologies for Energy Production” took place in Moscow on 6–10 February 2006. 

It was the first official event organized within framework of Russia’s G8* Presidency. This Forum was supported by International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy.

The main topic discussed at the Forum was the current state, problems and prospects of hydrogen economy development.

Organizers:

• Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
• Federal Agency for Science and Innovation
• Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy

with the support and participation:

• International Partnership on Hydrogen Economy (IPHE)
• Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation (Minpromenergo)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
• European Commission
• Government of Moscow
• Russian Academy of Science (RAS)
• National Association of hydrogen energy

Main objectives

• To choose the most efficient and rational way to use hydrogen technologies for energy production;
• To provide for Information exchange within the cooperation areas;
• To discuss opportunities for implementation of joint projects at the international level;
• To present achievements of research organizations and industrial enterprises in the field of hydrogen technologies for energy production;
• To implement targeted scientific research as a part of G8 Action Plan “Science and technologies for sustainable development”.

Forum Topics

Environmental and socio-economic aspects of hydrogen energy development

Current situation and the dynamics of the environment change;

Modeling the new energy technologies mitigating effect on the environment;

Possible negative trends and the ways for diminution of their impact;

Forecasts of the socio-economic development under the transition to new, particularly hydrogen-related, energy technologies.

New technologies for hydrogen production

Newest technologies of hydrogen production from different sources: fossil fuels, biomass, advanced electrolysis, thermo-, plasma-, photo- and photo electrochemical cycles.

Hydrogen storage and distribution

Traditional cryogenic and metal-hydride technologies;

Ultramodern technologies of hydrogen storage in carbon nanostructures;

Problems of long-distance hydrogen transportation.

Fuel cells

Latest accomplishments in fuel cells and their applications in mobile and stationary power units;

Problems of portable fuel cells development and production.

Hydrogen power units and infrastructure

Projects on further development of the nanotechnologies and new materials for hydrogen energy applications.

Nanotechnologies and new materials for the hydrogen energy

Complex solutions for hydrogen use in stationary energy systems;

Configurations of peripheral and auxiliary equipment for such use.

Safety, regulation, codes and standards

Exchange of views on possible ways of safe production, storage and use of hydrogen;

Overcoming the psychological barriers and training hydrogen end users as an important safety aspect;

Opportunities for introduction of agreed unified safety standards for hydrogen equipment.

Education

Domestic and foreign educational and retraining programs on the principal issues of hydrogen energy;

School introductory courses;

Awards to young scientists and “master classes” led by the world leading experts at the International youth conference.

Forum participants

There were over 500 Forum participants, among them:

• Top management and employees of more than 30 research institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
• Representatives of more than 20 Scientific centers of the Russian Federation;
• Professors, lecturers, students and post-graduate students from more than 25 higher educational establishments;
• Employees of more than 20 scientific & research and production enterprises and organizations;
• Among the foreign participants of the Forum there were employees and CEO from research and production companies from Belgium,  Belorussia, Brazil, Canada, France, Iceland, Italy, India, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Kirgizia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the USA.

Sponsors

General Sponsors

• MMC Norilsk Nickel Group
• National innovation company “New Energy Production”
• International Science and Technology Center (ISTC)

Official Sponsors

• RAO “UES of Russia”
• Shell Hydrogen BV

Sponsor

• OJSC “Avtovaz”

Information support

• ANO “RUSDEM-Energoeffect”
• NP “International information, training and consulting centre” (NP “INCOT”)
• Virual Exhibition of energy efficient technologies, materials and services Reisebuero WELT
• Magazine “Russia and world: science and technology”
• NefteGaz.RU: Search system on an oil-and-gas complex
• Magazine “EKiP”
• Scientific and technical and economic magazine “Technopolis XXI”
• Magazine “Industrialist of Russia”
• International Scientific journal for “Alternative energy and ecology”
• Program GREENTIE

Actions of the Forum

31 January—3 February, 2006

3^rd Russia’s workshop “Fuel Cells and FC-based Power Units”, city of Ekaterinburg

6 February 2006

International youth conference “Hydrogen Technologies for Energy Production”

• Opening. Master Classes
• Press-conference
• Meeting of heads of Russian universities and faculties with C. Larsson, member of the Board of US National Program on Education in Hydrogen Energy
• Poster presentations by the participants of the Russian Young Scientists
• Awarding the winners of the Russian Young Scientists Contest in the area of Hydrogen Technologies

International Forum “Hydrogen Technologies for Energy Production”

7 February 2006

• Opening. Plenary Session: “International and National R&D Programs on Hydrogen-related Economy. Environmental and Socio-Economic Aspects of Hydrogen Energy Development”
• Ceremony of Awarding the Veterans of the World Hydrogen Movement

8 February 2006

• Plenary Session: “International and National R&D Programs on Hydrogen-related Economy. Environmental and Socio-Economic Aspects of Hydrogen Energy Development” (continued)
• Signing the agreement between the Federal Agency for Science and Innovations of the Russian Federation and the UNIDO-ICHET
• The exhibition “Hydrogen and alternative technologies for energy production”
• Round table “Russian researches and development in the field of hydrogen technologies”

9 February 2006

• Section “New Technologies for Hydrogen Production”
• Section “Hydrogen Storage and Distribution”
• Section “Nanotechnologies and New Materials for Hydrogen Energy”
• Section “Fuel Cells”
• Section “Safety, Regulation, Codes and Standards”
• Section “Hydrogen power units and infrastructure”
• Section “Education”
• Poster presentations
• Presentation of domestic hydrogen cars

10 February 2006

• Closing Plenary Session
• Visiting of the Center of portable fuel elements of Association “ASPECT”
• Excursion in Control centre of flights (city of Korolev)

13–14 February 2006

Canadian-Russian Workshop on Hydrogen Technologies

About Sammit G8

The G8 Group is an unofficial forum of the heads of the leading industrialized democracies (Russia, the U. S., Britain, France, Japan, Germany, Canada and Italy), where the European Union has a limited status. This forum was designed to harmonize attitudes to acute international problems. The member states account for 49 % of global exports, 51 % of industrial output, and 49 % of assets in the International Monetary Fund.

The history of the Group, which initially had consisted of seven members, began in November 1975, when the first meeting of the leaders of six countries met in Rambouillet at the initiative of President of France Giscard d’Estaing. Canada joined the Group a year later.

EU representatives have attended G7 meetings since 1977 (first the chairman of the Commission of the European Communities and later also by the chairman of the Council of Europe). Russia was admitted to the Group at the Denver summit in 1997.

G8 is not an international organization. It does not rest on an international agreement and does not have formal admission criteria, a charter or a permanent secretariat. Its decisions are formulated as the political commitments of the member states.

But G8 has developed a stable procedure, with summits held regularly by rote in the partner states and the host country acting as the chairman of G8 for a calendar year. It organizes the summit and ministerial, expert and working meetings, elaborates the schedule and coordinates the routine work of the Group.

Discussions of the heads of state and government are held behind closed doors, with G8 Sherpas (personal representatives of leaders) being the only outsiders. Decisions are adopted on the principle of consensus.

The annual working cycle of the Group is focused on the preparations for and the holding of summits, the key event at the “club.” The Sherpas, who usually meet quarterly, lead and coordinate preparations.

The Sherpas lead the national teams that consist of political directors, foreign affairs and financial Sous-Sherpas, and other national experts. The Russian Sherpa is Igor Shuvalov, an aide to the Russian President.

Regular meetings of foreign and finance ministers play a major part in the preparation of summits, which entail also (by agreement) the meetings of environment, energy, labor and social development, healthcare, science and education, interior and justice ministers (prosecutors general).

G8 also has working and expert groups and task forces. As of now, there are the High Level Group on Nonproliferation, the Rome/Lyons Group (on terrorism and organized crime), the Counter-Terrorism Expert Group, the G8 Personal Representatives for Africa, the Global Partnership Senior Officials Group, the G8 Nonproliferation Experts Group (with a plutonium subgroup), the Nuclear Safety and Security Group, and several others. G8 holds an average of 60 to 80 functions annually.

In accordance with the decision of the G8 summit in Kananaskis in 2002, Russia will take the rotating chair of the group on January 1, 2006.