Hydrogeit Verlag celebrates its 20th anniversary

The Hydrogeit Verlag publishing house has been reporting on hydrogen and fuel cell technology for more than 20 years. In these two decades, what was once a one-man operation has now become a key player in the H₂ community, providing information and comment through its books and particularly through its specialist journal H2-international and its German counterpart HZwei.

It all began with a book with a very rudimentary design that was published single-handedly in 2002. The title: “Wasserstoff und Brennstoffzellen – Die Technik von morgen” (Hydrogen and Fuel Cells – The Technology of Tomorrow). Due to a lack of enthusiasm from existing publishers at that time, not to mention the outrageously low remuneration that would have been offered to the author, the first edition was released as a “book on demand,” a printing and copying process suitable for small print runs which emerged in the early aughts.

Despite its simplistic layout, the publication still managed to find an interested readership – not least because of the lack of other books on hydrogen – as did the booklet on “Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellen-Projekte” (Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Projects) published shortly afterward. The book attracted the attention of graphic designer Andreas Wolter, who liked the content but thought the layout was “unworthy” and offered to raise the quality bar for the second edition. And so it was that the reworked edition appeared two years later with a slick new design, published by the newly founded Hydrogeit Verlag.

Thus Andreas Wolter was the first to join our ever-growing team. A team that makes Hydrogeit Verlag what it is today: the first, and still only, specialist publisher for hydrogen and fuel cells.

Heartfelt thanks!

We’d also like to extend a very special thank-you to everyone who has played a part in creating the books, magazines, websites and newsletters: Henrike Hiersig and Robert Müller, who never fail to be utterly reliable and conscientious in their layout work; Dione Gutzmer, who has proofread so meticulously from the start; Wolf and Kathrin Lewitz, who for many years have showed their creativity in handling all things online; Nicole Helmich and Ina Woryna from fulfillment company VAH Jager, who initially took over the shipping and now also handle the billing; Michael Suckow from printec who, along with his team, brings our creations to life in print, as well as Karlee Archer and Nicola Bottrell Hayward for rendering the German articles into English.

And – crucially – the ever-growing editorial team with Eva Augsten, Sven Jösting, Monika Rößiger, Niels Hendrik Petersen and Aleksandra Fedorska in addition to many others who – time permitting – can always be relied upon to contribute valuable content.

Needless to say, there have also been many others involved in the wide array of publishing projects, be it the hydrogen CD, the teaching material on batteries and fuel cells, the study pack on renewable raw materials or diverse books that have been and will continue to be issued.

Thanks also go to the numerous project partners that over this long period have had a considerable influence on the development of the publishing house and thus likewise on the development of the renewables sector. And, of course, we thank our loyal readers.

It is all thanks to you that Hydrogeit Verlag continues to grow and that – at least to a certain degree – the H₂ and FC industry is where it is today. It’s certainly no exaggeration to say that this small publishing house has succeeded in reaching many readers, among them a number of decision-makers, something which has likely helped hydrogen and fuel cells move beyond its niche and into the mainstream.

And with this in mind, we are excited to see what may lie ahead.

Author: Sven Geitmann