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German government invests in green hydrogen

German government invests in green hydrogen

National Hydrogen Strategy
National Hydrogen Strategy, © BMWi / Andreas Mertens

There it is – the national hydrogen strategy. Five federal ministries presented the cabinet-approved final concept in Berlin on June 10. Querulous months of intense cross-ministry wrangling over hydrogen colors, the targeted electrolyzer capacity and committee rosters preceded strategy publication as sector representatives prowled, yearning for news. Ultimately, the governing coalition agreed on a whopping EUR 7 billion package, plus an additional 2 billion for potential hydrogen export countries.

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Government agencies argue about who is in charge

Government agencies argue about who is in charge

Herdan
Herdan: “We will be forced toimport large quantities of the renewable energy we need.“

Who can make the most of hydrogen and fuel cells? This question seems to have sparked a fierce competition between several German government ministries since late 2019 as they are vying with each other for control over the debate. Their tug-of-war began spreading through the political landscape when hydrogen became an issue to campaign on early this year, prior to the Hamburg state elections. Although the Christian Democrats were the ones who actively promoted the technology for a while, public opinion seems to have shifted in favor of what the Social Democrats are planning to do with it.

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Silke Frank launches Mission Hydrogen

Silke Frank launches Mission Hydrogen

Silke Frank

Early this year, Silke Frank, the longtime face of the f-cell trade show, left event organizer Peter Sauber Agentur Messen und Kongresse and went on to found Mission Hydrogen in nearby Winnenden on March 1. She had been with Peter Sauber Agentur since 2003 and worked her way up the ladder to become owner and founder Peter Sauber’s right-hand woman who oversaw day-to-day operations at the company. In that time, she had, for many years, a decisive influence on how the f-cell show held in Stuttgart was run.

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Fuel cells go the extra mile

Fuel cells go the extra mile

energy production
Comparing two energy production pathways, © FZ Juelich

Are batteries or fuel cells the more environmentally friendly, technically superior and economically prudent solution for electric transportation? Short answer: It depends.

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Total restructuring

Total restructuring

Petersen
Jan Petersen, © Total

Since January, Jan Petersen has been in charge of developing forward-looking transportation solutions at Total in Germany. He is heading a new division that aims to install not only ultrafast chargers but also hydrogen and natural gas stations. Bruno Daude-Lagrave, the chief executive of Total Deutschland, said the company created the department to respond quickly to market changes and make an active contribution to emissions reduction. He added that the main goal of Total is to be able to provide the energy needed for future generations of vehicles, a goal that can only be achieved by using a combination of different technologies.

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Fuel cell CHP system made in China

Fuel cell CHP system made in China

fuel cell
Distributed energy system,
© inhouse engineering

Mostly out of the public eye, Berlin-based inhouse engineering has been working for years behind the scenes on a fuel cell system that does not quite fit in with other suppliers‘ product offerings. With 5 kW capacity, it is much more powerful than devices offered by, for example, IBZ partners (see list on p. 13). Likewise, it is used mainly to supply energy for commercial multi-family and business properties, not single- or two-family homes.

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