This week Ready4H2 hosted a webinar with its members that shared an overview of hydrogen developments in Germany, demonstrating that the hydrogen sector is continuing to advance across the entire value chain, despite growing scepticism in some parts of the market.
In response to the perception that hydrogen development is slowing down, where some stakeholders question whether planned projects will materialise, DVGW has compiled a list of 100 hydrogen projects in Germany to showcase the wide range of active projects across the country. This also gives tangible evidence of progress and how hydrogen remains a key element of Germany’s energy transition strategy.
Dr Gerald Linke, DVGW CEO, shared examples of projects taking place in hydrogen production, transmission, storage, gas distribution networks, and related industries. The projects show the power of a “bottom up” approach where hydrogen is being used for end applications where the economics are better than other decarbonised fuel alternatives, such as BMW’s paint curing facilities or bus fleets in remote regions. This “bottom up” approach compliments the “top down” advancements by the government, such as the gas heating regulation, implementation of the Gas Package and inclusion of hydrogen as an energy gas in legislation.
Overall, the webinar emphasised Germany’s continued momentum in hydrogen production, infrastructure and network developments. By highlighting real projects and measurable progress, the presentation showed confidence in the sector and underlined Germany’s commitment to developing a large-scale hydrogen economy. In summary, Dr Linke stated that “The key message is that the regulatory framework is significantly better, but the bottleneck now lies in funding; we would like to see funding, investment certainty and a clear political commitment to the hydrogen ramp up, such as Government support for a large import project”.
These are themes common to most European countries, and topics which the Ready4H2 project is focusing on this year.
