The VoltaChem Annual event entitled ‘Scale 2 Impact’ took place on Tuesday 9 April at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen. This edition was the result of a collaboration between VoltaChem and Brightsite. The theme of the event dovetailed perfectly with Brightsite’s ambition to expand renewable energy production, electrify processes, and boost market demand for renewable hydrogen and materials.
The focus this year was on scaling up water electrolysis and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) value chains. The event brought together stakeholders and researchers from VoltaChem, Brightsite and the Brightlands Chemelot Campus.
Business and Programme Director Martijn de Graaff of VoltaChem and Managing Director Arnold Stokking of Brightsite jointly opened the event, with Stokking emphasising that all thinking about circularity is ‘systems thinking’: “We cannot do this alone, we need the government and all chain partners. We need to act together while making it clear how important chemistry is.”
Discussions and presentations focused on choosing the right technologies, improving efficiency and developing profitable business cases within the framework of the 1.5-degree warming scenario. This highlighted the need to expand renewable energy production, electrify processes, and boost market demand for renewable hydrogen and materials.
During his presentation, René Slaghek, Technology Manager at Brightsite, highlighted Chemelot’s impact on our daily lives: “Everyone has between 100 and 300 products in their homes that originate at Chemelot.” He added that for the energy transition to sustainable sources Chemelot will need “incredibly more energy”.
The morning sessions were led by industry experts, with topics including Power-2-Integrate, Power-2-Hydrogen and Power-2-Chemicals. Leading speakers, including Francisco Boshell (IRENA), Achim Raschka (Nova Institute) and Markus Kunze (Bosch Transmission Technology), shared their insights on the future of the industry. A networking lunch was followed by several breakout sessions, focusing on topics such as prioritising circular carbon and developing economically viable electrochemical routes.
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If you have any questions about the Voltachem Annual event or the topics discussed, don’t hesitate to contact us.