Hydrogeit

Mega-task eco-cement

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More than four billion tonnes of cement are produced worldwide every year. In the process, the building material inevitably releases large quantities of the carbon dioxide bound in the lime. Cement manufacturers, such as CEMEX from Mexico, are meeting the gigantic challenge of decarbonizing the industry. A bottleneck in the development is lack of green … Read more

IPCEI technology wave initiated

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After a long wait, the European Commission has approved the first projects of IPCEI Hydrogen. With these Important Projects of Common European Interest, significant progress towards the establishment of a hydrogen economy is to be made. The associated special approval under EU state aid law means that much more funding can be allocated than would otherwise be permitted within Europe. Among the initial are four projects from Germany. More are to follow in the course of the year.

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Déjà vu in Stuttgart

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For all those who have been active a little longer in the hydrogen and fuel cell industry, it will be like déjà vu when they arrive at f-cell on October 4th, 2022. They will be walking from the S-Bahn station or airport to the Stuttgart fairgrounds, and not, as in previous years, to the Haus der Wirtschaft. And this very move – from the Stuttgart city center to the airport – has already been made once before, in 2008. At that time, however, still under the direction of Peter Sauber.

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Solar hydrogen boat on a course for Monaco

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Thirty-two students from TU Berlin university have set themselves the ambitious task of building a renewables-powered boat by spring 2023 and racing it in the 10th edition of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. So far they only have a 4-inch (10-centimeter) model of its two hulls. By June next year they intend to have a seaworthy catamaran complete with electric power system.

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Ponikwar CEO of thyssenkrupp nucera

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In the highly competitive electrolyzer market, Essen-based company Thyssenkrupp AG has gotten Dr. Werner Ponikwar to lead the recently created subsidiary Nucera. On July 1st, 2022, the chemist assumed his new role as managing director (CEO), following in the footsteps of Denis Krude, who now fills the newly created function of chief operating officer (COO), … Read more

Seifert is new decarbXpo director

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The restructuring of Messe Düsseldorf continues. After Energy Storage Europe was combined with the IRES Conference, the #P2X Conference and ecoMetals Day, and renamed decarbXpo (long form Expo for Decarbonised Industries), this band of events received a new leadership on August 1st, 2022. Malte Seifert has since been the new project director of this decarbonization … Read more

Green hydrogen for emissions-free steel production

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Possible development of German crude steel production until 2050, © LBST
Possible development of German crude steel production until 2050, © LBST

Green hydrogen is the future of the German steel industry, which is currently facing major pressure to change due to the challenges of climate protection and increasing international competition. Through H2-aided steel production by direct reduction (DR), on the one hand, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the steel sector can virtually be avoided and, on the other, the industry of Germany can once again demonstrate its strength in innovation. With this in view, energy consultancy Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik (LBST) is busy preparing a new analysis in the form of a metastudy on behalf of the German hydrogen and fuel cell association (Deutscher Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellen-Verband, DWV) in cooperation with DWV’s special advisory group HySteel on the role of green hydrogen in the steel industry.

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Five out of 10 hydrogen living labs underway

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Ulrich Wagner, Trans4ReaL spokesman, © Trans4ReaL, Enno Kapitza
Ulrich Wagner, Trans4ReaL spokesman, © Trans4ReaL, Enno Kapitza

Here’s a sobering statistic: Out of a total of 10 hydrogen living labs, only five have actually been rolled out. Peter Altmaier, economy minister in the previous German government, had enthused grandiosely about the practical relevance of the projects he was supporting and went to great lengths to rebut any criticism of them. Even during the selection process, a fair number of voices could be heard complaining that the time for demos had passed. And yet Altmaier used the full force of his authority and sailed on. Today the reality is that the majority of these field trials have yet to swing into action, hampered by excessive bureaucracy and onerous conditions.

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The fuel conundrum for long-haul trucking

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This type of trial refueling station could potentially fill cryogas storage systems, © Cryomotive
Trial refueling station – potentially fill cryogas storage systems, © Cryomotive

Gaseous or liquid hydrogen? It’s a dilemma facing everyone involved in the refueling of heavy-duty vehicles. It makes no difference to the power system whether the fuel is a gas or a liquid as the fuel cells can process the hydrogen regardless. In infrastructure terms, however, it’s another matter. The consensus among experts is that it’s not economically viable for fuel station operators to support every available technology in the long run. One alternative is cryogas, which is produced by cooling pressurized gas to extremely low temperatures or by directly compressing liquid hydrogen. Work is currently underway to deliver cryogas tank systems that will give a range of around 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), the CryoTRUCK project and the Salzburger Aluminium Group initiative being prime examples.

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Using hydrogen in freight transport

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From left to right, Christoph Burkard, Caroline Schäfer, from Landesstelle Wasserstoff of LEA Hessen, and Matthias von der Malsburg, also with LEA Hessen, © Region Fulda
Christoph Burkard, Caroline Schäfer & Matthias v.d. Malsburg, © Region Fulda

During a media-effective ceremony on May 12th, 2022 at the event hotel Titanic on the Chausseestraße in Berlin, NOW GmbH together with German transport minister Volker Wissing cheerfully presented the funding decisions for the new HyStarter Regions and the participants in the second round of the HyExperts program. A good two years before, Martin Thaler, as the representative from the city of Fulda, likewise stood onstage in Berlin to accept funding from the federal transport minister, then Andreas Scheuer. It was 300,000, an outcome from the first call for HyExpert Regions. What has happened in the meantime? What is special about Hydrogen Region Fulda?

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