On the road to the Hydrogen Republic of Germany

"The current energy crisis clearly shows that we need an accelerated hydrogen ramp-up. Hydrogen will play a crucial role in a resilient and climate-neutral energy system. In addition, the hydrogen ramp-up offers sustainable jobs and new value creation potential. German companies are pioneers in the field of hydrogen technologies – this advantage must be exploited quickly. In this context, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is funding research projects that will enable the marketability of innovative hydrogen applications," said Stefan Wenzel, Parliamentary State Secretary at BMWK.

"The rapid ramp-up of the hydrogen economy is a huge opportunity for Germany, since green hydrogen stands for climate neutrality, energy security and sustainable prosperity. As a research ministry, we are committed to driving the innovation process forward – with our hydrogen flagship projects, strong basic research and international research cooperation. With a view to our climate goals and security of supply, it is clear that we must continue to increase the pace of research and innovation. We are able and intend to make Germany the pioneer and leading provider of innovative hydrogen technologies," says Till Mansmann, Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Implementation strategies for hydrogen ramp-up and R&D needs were topics of three-day Hydrogen Dialogue conference in Berlin

During the three-day conference from 10 to 12 October 2022, around 350 representatives from academia, industry, politics, administration and organised civil society met to discuss short-, medium- and long-term research and development needs and the ramp-up of a hydrogen economy. In addition to personal exchange, various dialogue formats, expert lectures and panel discussions allowed many topics to be addressed. Topics included: Import criteria, resource supply, hydrogen training and workforce needs, sector coupling, manufacturing processes for hydrogen and hydrogen-based derived products, industrial use, safety, logistics, infrastructures, acceptance and public (risk) perception.

On the occasion of the conference, Prof. Dr. Carsten Agert, one of eight cluster spokespersons of the Hydrogen Research Network, also commented: "Hydrogen technology is ready to be implemented. However, many things still need to be optimised in the course of the transformation process, and numerous research questions still need to be clarified for the economic ramp-up accompanying the process. Knowledge transfer, for example from living labs, must be ensured, as well as the continual accompaniment and optimisation of the transformation through systems analysis research. Hydrogen research remains essential to the success of the energy transition. The discussions with the approximately 350 participants at the network meeting impressively demonstrated how diverse the future fields of application for hydrogen can be. This also highlighted once again the necessity of expanding renewable energies as a prerequisite for future hydrogen capacities."

On the occasion of the conference, Prof. Dr. Jan Wörner, acatech president, also commented:

"The topic of hydrogen has gained enormous momentum recently. The results so far are good, but a hydrogen economic miracle with many high-quality jobs will only come about in Germany if network partners from academia, industry, public administration and committed civil society actively cooperate and set the pace. This is how we can succeed in exploiting the opportunities that the hydrogen ramp-up offers for German industry and for climate action."

Dr Klaus Schäfer, chairman of the board of DECHEMA, added: "For the market ramp-up of green hydrogen, we need swift and decisive action. This is the only way we can break through the chicken-and-egg problem of too little supply and too little demand. H2-Compass research shows that the coalition government’s target for domestic hydrogen production in 2030 is almost twice as high as the capacity of currently known and foreseeable projects. We can assume a gap of about 5.7 gigawatts - this gap must be closed quickly."

About the Hydrogen Research Network

The Hydrogen Research Network, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), is a technology-neutral, interdisciplinary forum in which experts from industry, universities and research institutes network and exchange ideas on the production, storage, distribution and cross-sectoral use of hydrogen.

As an element of the German government's National Hydrogen Strategy, the research network provides suggestions for the research and application of hydrogen technologies along the entire value chain. With jointly developed recommendations and statements, it serves as an impetus for funding strategies around the topic of hydrogen.

About the H2-Compass project

acatech and DECHEMA have been conducting the two-year H2-Compass project since June 2021. With the help of a meta-analysis, they are jointly developing an overview of various development paths for the market ramp-up as well as corresponding options for action with their respective advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, the H2-Compass project has been organising a dialogue with stakeholders from academia, industry, politics and civil society in order to obtain their views and work towards a common vision of a German hydrogen economy. The project results can be used by policymakers to develop a national hydrogen roadmap. The H2-Compass project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.