On September 15, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) of Germany published the “Monitoring Report” on the energy transition. Minister Katherina Reiche also presented ten steps to improve the economic viability. When it comes to hydrogen, fixed targets appear to be a thing of the past. Instead, the ministry is taking a “flexible” and “technology-neutral” approach. Reiche speaks of aligning with demand and market needs. She ignores the necessity, outlined in the report, of first building up this demand.

The French geoscience company Mantle8 and the technology service provider Viridien have entered into a strategic partnership. The aim is to accelerate the exploration of natural hydrogen systems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The PEM Chair at RWTH Aachen University has analyzed the operational capability and running costs of fuel cell trucks. The study shows that fuel cell trucks continue to offer advantages over battery-electric trucks in terms of range and refueling time, but are still held back by high hydrogen prices.

The Finnish technology group Metso has commissioned a pilot plant for the hydrogen-based pre-reduction of iron ore in Frankfurt am Main. The plant is based on the Circored process and is intended to enable low-CO2 steel production.

Fraunhofer IEG has commissioned a pilot plant in the city of Zittau, Germany, that for the first time feeds waste heat from a PEM electrolyzer into a district heating network using a heat pump. The aim is to improve the economic efficiency of hydrogen production.

This is the unanimous demand of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) and the AquaVentus Förderverein, whose goal is to produce green hydrogen directly at sea using offshore wind energy and transport it to shore via pipeline. Transport via pipelines is described as a cost-effective, fast and environmentally friendly solution.

Hydrogen Europe has published a position paper on the European Commission’s planned Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP). The association is calling for targeted support measures to accelerate the scale-up of hydrogen in the transport sector – particularly in aviation, shipping and heavy-duty transport.

In the Federal State of Lower Saxony, the AGil project has being launched to develop new business models for municipal utilities. The goal is to convert surplus electricity from renewable sources into hydrogen locally, thereby strengthening decentralized energy supply.

AquaVentus and Hydrogen Scotland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The aim is to jointly expand hydrogen production and transport in the North Sea region. A position paper outlines specific infrastructure potentials.

The municipality of Bosbüll in North Frisia is expanding its district heating network. In the future, process heat from local hydrogen production will also be fed into the system. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2025.

The Swiss company Infener wants to promote hydrogen throughout Europe. Decentralized H₂ hubs will be used to generate green electricity as well as green heat. The Ecore One is a compact containerized solution that combines various energy technologies in one unit: electrolyzer, fuel cell and battery as well as compressor and a heat pump with its own energy management system or EMS. H₂ production is due to start 2027 at a site in the Black Forest, Germany. However, the needs of regional industry are already far greater today.

Daimler Buses has put its first coach with a fuel cell drive system on the road. The technology demonstrator is based on components from the GenH2 Truck and is designed to achieve a range of at least 800 kilometers.

H2 Mobility is expanding its range of services to include a GHG quota service. This allows operators of hydrogen refueling stations to pool their avoided emissions and participate in the quota trading system – even with small volumes.

Hamburger Energienetze are preparing an existing natural gas pipeline beneath the Süderelbe for hydrogen transport. The so-called Kattwyk culvert is to become part of the hydrogen industrial network HH-WIN starting in 2027.

The company L&R Kältetechnik is supplying six refrigeration systems for a hydrogen cavern storage facility. The systems are part of the gas processing unit at the transfer station and operate with natural refrigerants at high energy efficiency.