LNG today, green gases tomorrow

The Russian aggression in Ukraine has not only fundamentally changed German energy policy in the short term. Top priority among EU members since spring 2022 has been the fastest possible independence from Russian natural gas, oil and coal. Because of the throttled natural gas delivery to Germany that had been central for national energy provision … Read more

Water’s no obstacle to green hydrogen

With an expansion of the electrolysis capacity to 10 GW, water demand in German would barely rise. In consideration of climate change, however, the German association for gas and water standards (Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches, DVGW) advises implementation of an integrated system of water management. This declaration by DVGW expert Dr. Florencia Saravia is … Read more

More hydrogen infrastructure for commercial vehicles

Bit by bit, Germany is beginning to expand its refueling network for hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles. The country’s existing 93 hydrogen stations, managed by H2 Mobility, are primarily designed for fuel cell automobiles and lack the capacity needed to fill up multiple trucks and buses. However Jan. 11, 2023, saw the opening of one of Europe’s highest … Read more

PCK Schwedt heading toward “green refinery”

For months now, local media outlets have been trying to outdo each other with ever-bolder claims about hydrogen’s potential role in saving the PCK refinery in Schwedt, Germany. Regional public broadcaster rbb24 has gone so far as to show an evening TV documentary on the subject. The program repeatedly emphasized that the production and processing … Read more

Solar fuel at the touch of a button

Researchers from Ulm, Germany, have managed to develop a system that enables hydrogen to be produced from light energy, no matter the season or time of day. This photochemical entity could in future be used to provide hydrogen on demand to multiple applications – from sustainable heat generation to the refueling of hydrogen trucks and … Read more

Profitability of hydrogen projects

In efforts to meet climate targets, the green energy carrier hydrogen is increasingly coming to the fore in the context of sector coupling. The basis for green hydrogen production is electricity from renewable energy plants. An electrolyzer is employed to produce hydrogen using green power and water. The process results in byproducts such as waste … Read more

H2 transport network in Brandenburg 1.2 billion euros

A strong transport network is a prerequisite for a future H2 economy. “Only so can the hydrogen quantities be transported that our industry requires,” also knows Prof. Jörg Steinbach, the economy minister for the German state of Brandenburg. He presented a feasibility study in February 2023 containing concrete routing networks to be established for various … Read more

Don’t rely on just one technology

Lars-Peter Thiesen, Opel’s head of deployment strategy for hydrogen and fuel cells, has been part of fuel cell powertrain development in Germany since the start and has played a decisive role in shaping its direction. Here, in conversation with H2-international, he calls for a technology-neutral attitude to e-mobility that takes account of both battery- and … Read more

DZM concept under revision

Uncertainty still remains about what will become of the proposed mobility center in Munich. The German transportation ministry (BMDV) only had the following to say to H2-international: “The BMDV has, as agreed in the coalition treaty, put the concept of the German Center for Future Mobility (DZM) from the previous legislative period through a comprehensive … Read more

Environment in ecological discourse

At the turn of the year, the Biennale Internationale Malerei took place in Hamburg under the patronage of Michael Westhagemann, then economy senator for the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. In Bergedorf Castle from November 8, 2022 to January 31, 2023, 47 paintings created using various techniques were displayed – on the theme “Umwelt … Read more