The time to transform the gas networks is now

Gerald Linke, © DVGW, Tatiana Back Kurda
© DVGW, Tatiana Back Kurda

Interview with Gerald Linke, DVGW chairman

The German gas and water industries association DVGW has for some time been increasing its efforts in relation to hydrogen. In early 2018, it entered into initial negotiations with the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, DWV, with the aim of intensifying the cooperation between the two organizations. At the end of 2020, DWV members voted overwhelmingly in favor of the partnership proposed by the board. What unites these two associations and what could the gas industry look like in the future? Gerald Linke, DVGW chairman, shared his views with H2-international.

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Hydrogen reshapes energy industry

The reshaping of the energy landscape is well under way. And as the energy industry begins its transformation, it’s become apparent that hydrogen has a major role to play in the new world order – albeit not straightaway, but in the near future. Hence we see every imaginable organization jostling for position to take advantage of this restructuring and perhaps also to shape its direction.

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FuelCell Energy – business valued too high

There has been a stark rise in the valuation of the business from around USD 100 million to now over USD 9 billion, with the stock price increasing from USD 1 – USD 2 to USD 29. I would go so far as to call it totally excessive. I got early wind of FuelCell Energy [Nasdaq: FCEL] as a turnaround after a management consultancy had “cleaned it up” and after the company had undergone a period of refinancing and restructuring and happily onboarded Orion Energy Partners as a key investor.

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Hydrogen as an export product

Up to now Australia has exported mainly liquid natural gas and coal - in the future also hydrogen
Up to now Australia has exported mainly liquid natural gas and coal – in the future also hydrogen, © BHP Billiton: Coal transport Australia Rail

The city of Perth in southwestern Australia was already one of twelve cities worldwide at the beginning of the 21st century that tested fuel cell buses in local transport. After that, however, the energy-rich country no longer emerged as a major promoter of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. And why should it? After all, the country has huge reserves of fossil fuels, precious metals and rare earth metals. But is that really reason enough not to look for alternatives?

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Synergies Between Space Flight, Energy and Transportation

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Testing the Vulcain 2 at DLR site

The Institute of Space Propulsion of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Lampoldshausen is one of Europe‘s largest hydrogen consumers. The organization primarily uses cryogenic hydrogen to test the main and upper stage engines of Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket. The experiences made during those tests will now be expanded even further: Together with ZEAG Energie, the DLR is planning to implement a regenerative hydrogen process chain. It creates the required hydrogen in a 1 MW PEM electrolysis system, which draws its power from the neighboring wind farm Harthäuser Wald

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Roland Käppner Joins Thyssenkrupp

Roland Käppner‘s journey continues: After he had worked for Siemens for many years, he became CEO of McPhy Energy Germany. In August 2015, he then left for GKN Sinter Metals (see Roland Käppner Leaves for GKN). On July 1, 2016, he changed jobs and took on the position of head of business development and sales at the industrial division of thyssenkrupp.

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Wind Energy Storage in the North East

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Total amount of wind power, © Crotogino

The 2014 version of the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) allows operators in case of a grid overload to “reduce the feed-in” of green power, but with the obligation to log the incident. The ones who pay for it are the utility customers because the owners of wind farms receive their usual feed-in payment – even if the network operator takes the park off the grid. Use of the permission is rampant

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BMWi starts incentive program for market launch

NAPE-nationaler-action-plan-webIn May 2015, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) presented the long-awaited funding instrument for the market launch of fuel cell heating devices. As announced by Minister of Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel, the market launch is to be supported via the so-called Energy Efficiency Incentive Program. The program is part of the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPE), which was passed by the German federal government at the end of 2014. With other projects, it aims to contribute to a big improvement in the level of effectiveness in the construction sector. The package of measures has an annual funding volume

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FC heating devices are on the market

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The Dachs InnoGen from Senertec

It’s a moment many have been long been waiting for: at the Hanover trade show, the companies of the Fuel Cells Initiative [Initiative Brennstoffzelle IBZ] presented many of the fuel cell heating devices which are currently available on the market. After the home energy providers showed off their products and services at the ISH in Frankfurt am Main in mid March 2015 with their own stands – an event which claims to be the biggest exhibition for energy-efficient heating and air conditioning technology in the world, in Hanover they shared a single shared booth. The Logapower BZH192iT from Buderus was on show there for the first time. SOLIDpower also made its debut at the IBZ. And Ceramic Fuel Cells (CFC) was

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