In my previous article, I formulated a simple thesis:

👉 Hydrogen is not the problem. Implementation is.

👉 Last week, I had the opportunity to verify this directly in practice.

I actively participated in the first Energy Platform organised by Central Bohemian Innovation Centre.

This was not a traditional conference. Quite the opposite.

👉 Companies brought concrete challenges from practice
👉 Participants joined discussions based on relevance
👉 And within a few hours, working teams were formed to search for real solutions

The goal was not to present. The goal was to move things towards implementation.

I attended the event thanks to Benon Rychlik, who approached me and eventually convinced me not to come only as a participant, but to bring my own challenge.

Honestly, it was not an easy decision for me.

It was my first event of this kind in the role of an active participant – not only presenting, but also becoming the person around whom a working team was formed.

💡 My challenge

I focused on an area I have been working on for a long time:

👉 How to address industrial energy needs where electrification alone is not sufficient

With a focus on:

  • local hydrogen production
  • the use of biomass and bio-waste (including sewage sludge)
  • circular economy principles
  • and real operational, mobility and commercial applications

🤝 What followed

After a short introduction, a team quickly formed around the challenge.

At one table, representatives from:

  • research
  • industry
  • innovation ecosystems
  • and additional energy experts

came together.

And the most important part began:

👉 searching for real applications

🔍 What the discussion revealed

It became clear very quickly that the technology itself is not the problem.

Quite the opposite.

The discussion was factual, open and realistic. It was not “enthusiasm for hydrogen”, but rather focused on:

  • concrete applications
  • economics
  • availability of feedstock
  • and real limitations

Very interesting ideas also emerged:

👉 the investor does not necessarily have to be an industrial company
→ it could also be a church or municipalities

👉 new input materials
→ for example textile waste (although with questions regarding RED II/III)

At the same time, it became clear that there is major potential in:

👉 local hydrogen production using biomass and bio-waste, especially where production can be directly connected to local consumption and transport minimised.

⚠️ Reality from practice: Ostrava

The discussion with colleagues from Ostrava was also extremely important.

Specific examples were mentioned:

  • planned hydrogen buses → not implemented
  • hydrogen trains → replaced by another solution

The main reason was economics.

From my perspective, however, the issue is not only the cost of technology.

👉 The key factor is how the project is designed.

  • whether the right technology mix is selected
  • whether the business model makes sense
  • and above all:
    👉 whether there is someone who truly manages and coordinates the project

🧠 Where the real problem lies

And this brings us back to the original thesis:

👉 technologies exist
👉 studies exist
👉 interest exists

👉 but projects often remain only on paper

The reason is surprisingly simple:

👉 there is often nobody who can connect everything together and bring it to implementation

Meaning a role that:

  • connects technologies
  • coordinates partners
  • communicates with investors
  • works with funding instruments
  • and keeps the project functioning as one integrated whole

Without this role, most projects remain stuck in the study phase.

🔧 What I take away from this

For me personally, this was a very intense experience:

  • first public appearance in this role
  • first leadership of a working team
  • first confrontation with cross-sector reality

It was demanding.

But also extremely valuable.

👉 It confirmed to me that:

✔ we have the technologies
✔ we have the ideas
✔ interest exists

👉 but the decisive factor is:

👉 the ability to connect these elements and implement them

🔗 What comes next

If we truly want hydrogen projects to emerge:

👉 it is not enough to focus only on technology

👉 we also need to focus on:

👉 implementation

And this is exactly where I see the greatest potential for the next steps.

📌 (in the photo: output from the workshop team discussion – identification of applications, partners and risks)

I focus on the development of hydrogen projects and infrastructure strategies in a European context.

Kristýna Váchalová
Hydrogen Business Development