The steel construction company Reuther STC GmbH from Fürstenwalde, Brandenburg is bankrupt once more. On June 1, 2022, insolvency proceedings were opened – for the second time. As the state broadcaster, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), reported, Reuther had already been “as good as bankrupt before the pandemic,” since, in 2019, a 7-million-euro order from Senvion for over 15 towers for wind turbines had been dissolved because of its insolvency. “We then went to court and filed for bankruptcy,” recalled sales manager Christian Klingelstein. With support from the region, the company was able to save itself by using its know-how additionally for the construction of hydrogen containers from now on. So 165 of the previously imperiled jobs were saved.
Germany
Hans Sandlaß has died
On April 15th, 2022, a longtime champion for green hydrogen left us. Dr. Hans Sandlaß had been campaigning for the use of regenerative energies since 1983 in the former East Germany. In 1990, he founded the energy engineering firm IEE Ingenieurbüro Energieeinsparung GmbH and was committed to the use of hydrogen at an early stage. … Read more
Herdan now developing e-fuel projects
Thorsten Herdan has worked for the German economic ministry for 8 years. Now, he’s moving to HIF Global. The mechanical engineer’s foray into politics lasted until January 2022. Mid-May, the e-fuel development company appointed Herdan the managing director of HIF EMEA.
It may be a jarring change
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The discussion about rising energy prices is taking on ever greater dimensions. Now, German economic minister Robert Habeck wants to grant the German competition regulation agency (Bundeskartellamt) new rights. Swift to oppose such alleged unconstitutionality is not only Handelsverband Deutschland (the general association for commerce in Germany).
Dispelling the e-fuels myth
If there were to be a widespread switchover to e-fuels for transportation we would be shooting ourselves in the foot in environmental terms. The more we rely on e-fuels, the more impossible it will be for us to turn around the world’s energy system before it’s too late. The internal combustion engine isn’t getting any greener and a fundamental rethink of mobility is absolutely essential.
NWS gets a navigation post
Never before has there been so much talk about hydrogen. And, accordingly, many questions. In order to be able to answer at least some of these questions, the German government has now established a Lotsenstelle Wasserstoff (hydrogen navigation post) to inform inquirers particularly about the support offers of the federal government.
EKPO sets the pace in automated stack production
The joint venture between ElringKlinger and Plastic Omnium has built up a production capacity of 10,000 stack units per year at the Dettingen site. According to chief finance officer Dr. Gernot Stellberger, the fuel cell manufacturer from Baden-Württemberg has a lead of about two years over the competition in the area of industrial stack design. The company is aiming for a sales revenue of up to one billion euros by the end of the decade. In addition to the commercial vehicle sector, there is great interest from the maritime and rail industry. In the joint venture Aerostack with Airbus, EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH is developing a stack for use in aviation.
Green H2 reduces CO2 footprint of refineries
The trend is clear: refineries also need to become greener – recently also to limit the use of Russian oil and gas. In Germany, refineries are responsible for about a fifth of the CO2 emissions by the sector. Green hydrogen can be integrated into existing production processes. Several refineries are currently making this transition.
H2 industry must grow faster than PV by 2030
The realization that we need a lot of green hydrogen very quickly, not only in Germany and Europe, but also worldwide, is becoming more and more widespread. Germany has already made the decision to phase out nuclear energy and coal. And after Putin’s attack on Ukraine, natural gas is also under examination. The plan was to make the gas grid greener and greener. Now, there is discussion about a much faster ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. Which scenarios are conceivable for this?
Hydrogen poster competition
Hyd
rogen is now also making its presence felt in cultural quarters thanks to two associations based in Hamburg, Germany: The hydrogen society Wasserstoff-Gesellschaft Hamburg has organized a hydrogen-themed poster competition in partnership with the Kulturaustausch Hamburg-Übersee, an arts charity with its own gallery and publishing house. The 19th edition of the poster contest, which always has a contemporary theme, had previously been delayed by the pandemic. As a result, the exhibition opened on Oct. 30, 2021, and the award ceremony finally took place at the end of February 2022.