Since 2018, SJPS has been organising forums to promote the Society 5.0/Society 5.0 development concept. The corona epidemic interrupted this for two years. This year, on 24 May, we organised the Forum: the Future with Hydrogen at BTC. Energy is one of the key ecosystems of Society 5.0, and hydrogen will certainly be an important energy source in the future. The Forum presented the Japanese experience and some Slovenian plans in the field of hydrogen. NEDO- New Energy Development Organisation presented the hydrogen strategy in Japan. NEDO is involved in all key Japanese hydrogen projects. Toshiba presented its experience with green hydrogen production and its plans in Europe. So did Toyota, which is the world leader in the use of hydrogen in transport. Slovenian companies presented the Hydrogen Valley project (HSE – NAHV – a joint project between Slovenia, Croatia and Friuli Venezia Giulia), the Ministry of Defence – the use of hydrogen for defence purposes, and the Faculty of Electroengineering from Maribor, a study on the impact of green hydrogen on the Slovenian electricity system.
Dr Igor Papič, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, keynote speaker, presented the Slovenian Government’s view on the development of hydrogen technologies and in particular the cooperation with Japan in this field. In his welcoming address, Minister of Energy and Environment, Mr. Bojan Kumer, confirmed that Slovenia will actively participate in the development of hydrogen technologies. Ambassador of Japan to Slovenia, H.E. Mr. Mr Hiromichi Matsushima, Ambassador of Japan, assured that they will continue to support joint Slovenian-Japanese projects, especially in the field of sustainability.
The Forum concluded with an initiative of the Slovenian-Japanese Business Council and the Slovenian Academy of Engineering to establish the Slovenian Hydrogen Association, an association that would ensure the development of hydrogen technologies in Slovenia and, in particular, joint Slovenian-Japanese projects in this field.
The response and participation at the Forum exceeded all expectations. There is a great interest in information on hydrogen technologies in Japan in Slovenia. We will strive to ensure that this will give birth to a new cooperation project with Japan, comparable to the NEDO project, which was successfully completed in 2022.
Miran Skender
