Technology

Green hydrogen is considered one of the key ingredients for meeting global climate targets. And it is also a possible alternative to gas, which makes the need to accelerate the hydrogen economy in Germany and Europe all the more urgent. However, establishing a hydrogen economy requires more than just innovative technologies for its production, transmission and utilization. It demands digital solutions to raise efficiency, forecast hydrogen demand and supply, monitor transmission and storage and ensure the safe use of hydrogen in a variety of applications. Yet there has so far been little or insufficient sharing of the data needed to perform these tasks among potential market participants. The primary reasons for this are a lack of trust and a fear of competitive disadvantage. The HyTrust project, funded by the German education and research ministry, now intends to tackle these challenges by creating a data trustee model in the hydrogen economy.

Plans to expand Germany’s hydrogen landscape are well underway. A large number of electrolyzers for green hydrogen production and thousands of kilometers of new or converted pipelines for hydrogen transmission will be built in the coming years. This offers us the opportunity to think holistically from the outset about the advancing trends of hydrogen and digitalization and to digitalize the hydrogen sector. This article intends to demonstrate the potential that can be leveraged through the digitalization of the entire green hydrogen value chain.

At the Hydrogen Technology Expo, AvCarb is presenting its new gas diffusion layer Flex-GDL. The material is flexible, thin, and suitable for both fuel cells and electrolysers. It is designed to improve system efficiency and durability.

The new PdCu39 membrane enables the production of high-purity hydrogen via steam reforming without additional heating systems.

Laufenberg and Wevo-Chemie are presenting a new process for the continuous production of flat gaskets for fuel cells and electrolysers at the Hydrogen Technology Expo in Hamburg. The technology is intended to make production more efficient and cost-effective.

With support from the German federal government and the Federal State of Lower Saxony, the Technical University (TU) of Braunschweig is establishing a new research center for circular production and recycling processes of batteries and fuel cells. Starting in 2027, around 150 researchers will work there on closed material cycles.

From August 21 to 27, 2025, the city of Chemnitz will become the center of an international hydrogen competition for young talents: At the world finals of the Hydrogen Grand Prix, more than 60 student teams from 23 countries will compete with self-developed H2 racing vehicles.

The Austrian mobility technology company AVL and the Japanese ceramics specialist Niterra have entered into a strategic partnership to develop solid oxide electrolyzers (SOECs). Their goal is to industrialize the technology.

The electrolyzer for the first green hydrogen refueling station at the Port of Klaipėda has passed the Factory Acceptance Test. According to the company, the facility is set to become the first of its kind in the Baltic States.

Hydrogen producer Lhyfe has received RFNBO certification for four of its sites in Germany and France. According to the company, this makes Lhyfe the largest European producer of certified green hydrogen under the RED III standard.

The French geoscience company Mantle8 and the technology service provider Viridien have entered into a strategic partnership. The aim is to accelerate the exploration of natural hydrogen systems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

A hydrogen generator powered by a Toyota fuel cell and a new battery storage system are intended to replace diesel generators on construction sites. French manufacturer EODev presented both solutions for the first time in Germany at the Bauma trade fair.

In the year 1999, Christian Machens developed the world's first fuel cell boat, the Hydra, and thereby laid the foundation for innovations that will extend far into the future. Now, 25 years later, he is once again setting standards in the technology landscape – this time with a world first that has the potential to fundamentally change the safety analysis of systems.

Extremely high demands are placed on tools for punching, stamping and forming sheet metals. In some cases, accuracies of between 1 µm and 2 µm are required during manufacturing. The level of challenge increases drastically the larger the tool and the thinner the sheet. The stamping plates for the sheet-metal parts in fuel cell bipolar plates are a prime example. Bipolar plates are thin structures made from welded sheet-metal half shells that enclose the filigree flow fields. They are built up one after another in many layers, with the membrane electrode assemblies sandwiched in between, to produce the final stack.