Joint Serbian-Chinese hydrogen energy laboratory starts working

The first Serbian-Chinese workshop dedicated to the hydrogen economy, which brought together scientists, researchers and business representatives from Serbia and China, marked the beginning of the work of the joint international hydrogen energy laboratory XJTU–SXQN–VINCA. The laboratory will deal with research and innovation in the field of hydrogen economy - from production to storage, it was said at the workshop at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. The workshop was organized with the aim of exchanging knowledge, encouraging international cooperation and supporting the development of technologies in this field, which is increasingly determining the direction of global development.

Predrag Skobalj, Assistant Director for Technological Development at the Vinca Institute, emphasized that cooperation with China - one of the countries with leading capacities for the application of hydrogen technologies - was of exceptional importance for Serbia. He stated that the Center of Excellence for Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Sources at the Vinca Institute for Nuclear Sciences was actively exploring the possibilities of hydrogen production and storage.

The hydrogen economy is not just an environmental issue - it is, first and foremost, a development opportunity. The transition to hydrogen can contribute to greater energy independence, industrial modernization and the creation of high-paying jobs in new technology sectors.

Dušan Stokic, Head of the Center for the Environment, Technical Regulations, Quality and Social Responsibility of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, presented the engagement of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in the Interreg PRHyUS project – “Promoting the use of renewable hydrogen for a sustainable and greener Europe,” which was launched on May 1 this year with the lead partner from Italy (Campania region) and partners from eight countries, including Serbia. The project aims to promote the use of renewable hydrogen in order to accelerate the energy and green transition and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with a focus on increasing demand for hydrogen and supporting the adoption of regional policies.

According to him, in the context of climate change and the need for decarbonization, the energy and green transition are no longer just a technical issue, but a question of sustainability, competitiveness and long-term stability of economies. In this context, hydrogen stands out as one of the most promising pillars of the energy transition.

– It is expected that by 2050, hydrogen will account for up to 20% of global energy consumption, while the size of the global hydrogen market is projected at 1.4 trillion US dollars per year, with the creation of more than 30 million jobs worldwide - mainly in the field of clean hydrogen – Stokic emphasized.

Professor Fusheng Yang from Xi’an Jiaotong University, who is actively involved in research in the field of hydrogen storage and the development of hydrogen energy technologies, pointed out the importance of international cooperation in the development and promotion of the hydrogen economy.

The program of the meeting included two round tables with a total of thirteen expert presentations. Participants presented the latest research and examples of good practice in areas such as: hydrogen storage, development of advanced materials, low-carbon iron and steel production, catalysts based on 2D materials, hydrogen compression and purification, as well as applications in fuel cells. Topics related to the industrial application of hydrogen energy aroused particular interest, and the first hydrogen charging station in Serbia was also presented.

The meeting was organized within the framework of the bilateral project “Development of high-entropy hydrogen storage materials for static compression,” implemented by the Center of Excellence for Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Sources - CONVINCE from the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences and the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology of Xi’an Jiaotong University. The project is managed on the Serbian side by Dr. Jasmina Grbovic Novakovic, while the Chinese team is led by Dr. Fusheng Yang.

Privredna komora Srbije

Institut za nuklearne nauke Vinča Beograd

Xi an Jiaotong University

Predrag Škobalj

Dušan Stokić

Fusheng Yang

XJTU SXQN VINČA hydrogen energy laboratory