The first in-person meeting of the European project POWERMAX—funded under the Horizon Europe framework programme—took place in Milan on September 30 and October 1–2, 2026. With a budget of €8 million and partners from 11 nations (including Canada and Bolivia), the project will analyze, over a four-year period, the role that long Duration Energy storage (LDES) can play in the medium-to-long term in Europe and elsewhere globally. The analysis will begin by constructing mathematical models (digital twins) for six demonstrators covering three LDES technologies (hydrogen, molten salts, and batteries). Based on simulation results, the project will develop insights regarding both the system perspective (such as the need for grid investments) and the business case for future long-term storage investors, ultimately formulating regulatory guidelines that will be subject to public consultation.

RSE will be responsible for the Italian demonstration, which involves creating a digital twin to study the ambitious program of the utility company HERA (also a project partner) to develop a hydrogen distribution network in the Emilia-Romagna region. RSE will also be responsible for drafting the final regulatory considerations and conducting consultations with European stakeholders in order to formulate the project’s overall conclusions.

Following the meeting, a visit to the Modena “IdrogeMO” facility—part of the Italian demonstrator project—was organized in collaboration with Hera; starting in 2027, this facility will fuel city buses with green hydrogen produced on-site using energy from local photovoltaic panels.