Vanguarland (Portugal) has just joined AP2H2 – the Portuguese Association for the Promotion of Hydrogen.

AP2H2’s mission is to promote the introduction of hydrogen as an energy vector, support the development of related technologies, and encourage the use of hydrogen in commercial and industrial applications in Portugal.

Founded in 2003, AP2H2 fulfills its mission through four main lines of action:

• Disseminate and inform about hydrogen-related topics, both to the business and scientific communities, as well as to the general population.
• Conduct scientific research, in Portugal or in collaboration with other countries.
• Represent the interests of its members with other entities, as well as interact with national and international organizations on hydrogen-related issues.
• Contribute to the creation and application of legislation and regulations on hydrogen in collaboration with the competent authorities.

Vanguarland Innova has been a member of the following associations for some time.

BEQUINOR – National Association for the Standardization of Equipment and Industrial Safety.

With over 50 years of history, BEQUINOR is a non-profit association formed by professionals representing more than a hundred companies and entities across the value chain of various industrial sectors. Its goal is to work on proposals that help improve the safety of industrial facilities.

Its objective is to collaborate in improving the safety of industrial facilities to minimize risks to people, the environment, and the facilities themselves.

To carry out this mission, BEQUINOR has three main lines of action:

• Collaboration with the Administration in the development of regulatory provisions and other guides and technical documents.
• Safety committees in various fields of industrial safety, acting as an intermediary between its members and the Administration:
  • Chemical product storage
  • Hydrogen
  • Lithium batteries
  • Pressure equipment
  • Transport of hazardous goods
  • Oil facilities
• Technical Standardization Committees to ensure the consistency of the work being developed:
  • CTN 62, industrial equipment and pressure equipment
  • CTN 109, safety in the storage, handling, and processes with chemical products
  • CTN 192/SC12, regulatory inspection. Chemical product storage.

SOLARTYS is the Spanish Cluster for Solar Energy and the Energy Transition.

Founded in 2009, SOLARTYS is a non-profit association that is part of the SECARTYS cluster ecosystem, a non-profit business group that has been working since 1968 to foster the competitiveness of four clusters and over 420 members.

The SECARTYS clusters are:

• SOLARTYS, the solar energy and energy transition cluster.
• SMARTECH, the smart technologies cluster.
• CICAT, the lighting cluster.
• AEPIBAL, the energy storage cluster.

Members of SOLARTYS join the cluster, becoming part of a dynamic and inclusive ecosystem with access to a valuable, ever-evolving knowledge and collaboration network.

SOLARTYS is committed to promoting energy efficiency in solar projects, technological innovation in solar energy, and training in renewable energies.

SOLARTYS works closely with the solar thermal sector in three main areas of focus:

• Organizing solar energy events and solar industry conferences in Spain.
• Keeping up with the latest news on renewable energy.
• Promoting the internationalization of solar companies across Spain.

The H2 Cluster of Castilla-La Mancha

The Hydrogen Cluster of Castilla-La Mancha, founded in December 2020 and headquartered in Puertollano, has more than forty companies as its members.

Its objective is to collaborate in the strategic development of hydrogen technology and its implementation in the region, contributing to the energy transition of Castilla-La Mancha and positioning it as a national and European leader.

It represents and encompasses the entire industrial chain that forms the hydrogen vector, including production, transportation, logistics, distribution, and storage, as well as research and development.

The cluster’s main mission is to present projects that can be financed through the European recovery funds, Next Generation.

The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of the National Hydrogen Center

Vanguarland Innova, S.L. currently presides over this committee.

The CNH2 (National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Center) was created in 2007 as a public consortium between the Ministry of Education and Science, now the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, and the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, with each holding a 50% share. Its headquarters are located in Puertollano (Ciudad Real).

The National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Center (CNH2) is a national research center focused on advancing scientific and technological research in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, serving the scientific, technological, and industrial communities.

The main objectives of the CNH2 are:

• Promote technology through the execution of R&D projects and services, both basic and applied research.
• Experiment and validate prototypes and equipment.
• Develop and scale processes.
• Homologate, certify, and verify components and systems.

The CNH2 has 13 laboratories and 5 auxiliary facilities that operate in the following areas:

• Hydrogen production.
• Hydrogen storage and distribution.
• Hydrogen transformation.
• Applications of hydrogen technologies.
• Standards, certification, and safety.
• Technological implementation.