Podcast

Hydrogen Valley Podcast is out: third episode available on 4th of February 2026!

Hydrogen is expected to be a key part of our green energy transition. But we have used hydrogen for over 100 years. Why is there hype around hydrogen now? Are the hopes warranted? What is required to make the hydrogen economy a reality?

In the Hydrogen Valley Podcast, Mikko Heiskala, a visiting researcher at the Department of Industrial Engineering at Aalto University interviews researchers and industry experts from the BalticSeaH2 Hydrogen Valley, the European H2 Valley of the Year 2025, to understand what the hydrogen economy is about, its components, and what is needed to make it a reality.

BalticSeaH2 project is co-funded by the European Union through Clean Hydrogen Partnership and its members. The podcast has received financial support from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Episode 1: Hydrogen Economy: Why Now If Not Back Then?

Firms, the EU and national governments are now investing and betting large sums of money on green hydrogen. It is seen as a big component in our urgently needed transition to greener forms of energy to fight climate change. But hydrogen has been used in industry for over a hundred of years. Why are we pinning our hopes on green hydrogen now? Is the hype warranted? What’s different now?

Episode guests:

Mika Järvinen, Associate professor, Aalto University
Simo Säynevirta, Head of H2 Springboard ecosystem, ABB
Samuel Cross PhD, Coordinator, Hydrogen Innovation Center, Aalto University

Hydrogen Valley Podcast is scripted, recorded, edited, mixed, and hosted by Mikko Heiskala, a visiting researcher at Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University.

Episode interviews were recorded in May-June 2025.

Episode 2: Show(el) Me the Money! Hydrogen Regulation, Incentives, and Investments

In addition to being a key part of the green energy transition, the hydrogen economy has been hyped up as a potential gold mine and creator of jobs by industry pundits and governments alike. But investments have been slower and smaller than initially anticipated. Stories about the death of the hydrogen hype have been piling up in the media lately. Why is this? Is the hydrogen economy takeoff really stalling? And what roles regulation, incentives and investments play in all this?

Episode Guests:

Christian Langen, Executive in Residence, Aalto University
Janne Peljo, Chief Policy Adviser, Finnish Confederation of Industries
Jan Feller, CEO, German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce

Hydrogen Valley Podcast is scripted, recorded, edited, mixed, and hosted by Mikko Heiskala, a visiting researcher at Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University.

Episode interviews were recorded in May-June 2025.

Episode 3: Nuts and Bolts of Hydrogen Production

We have known how to produce hydrogen for over 100 years – but mostly relying on carbon-intensive production methods. Currently, greener and cleaner hydrogen production is more expensive.

To bring the cost down, we need to scale up the production capacity. How is green hydrogen produced? What are the bottlenecks and costly steps? How can we solve them and ramp up production capacity?

Episode Guests:

Tanja Kallio, Associate Professor, Aalto University
Tuomo Rinne, Vice President, Business Development, P2X Solutions

Hydrogen Valley Podcast is scripted, recorded, edited, mixed, and hosted by Mikko Heiskala, a visiting researcher at Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University.

Episode interviews were recorded in late April-June 2025.