Germany Advocates for Green Hydrogen Adoption in Transport as National Hydrogen Infrastructure Evolves
In a significant push towards sustainable transportation, Germany is shaping its national infrastructure to integrate green hydrogen, with the news breaking on February 3, 2023. The Renewable Energy Agency (AEE) and the transport ministry (BMDV) are leading this charge, earmarking 80 million euros for investments that enable the integration of renewable hydrogen in mobility.
The AEE, headed by Robert Brandt, has listed 60 running projects in Germany for hydrogen production with renewable energy, with another 80 currently being planned or constructed. These projects, which can have a capacity of at least one MW, are aimed at producing green hydrogen exclusively for the transport sector. However, specific information about the investors involved in these projects is not publicly available as of April this year. Companies like ABO Energy and ITM Power, known for their strategic partnerships focused on green hydrogen production in Europe, might be among the applicants.
Industrial regions in the west and south of Germany are aiming to integrate hydrogen into production processes and further develop the technology. Meanwhile, northern states are planning to use excess electricity to generate hydrogen, while eastern states hope to substitute outgoing coal energy infrastructure with green hydrogen.
The transport minister, Volker Wissing, has emphasized the need to strengthen the hydrogen ecosystem, increase supply and demand, and make the transport sector a reliable and well-funded buyer. He also stated that nearly one in five registered utility vehicles might be powered by hydrogen.
The AEE estimates that hydrogen will remain a scarce resource that requires targeted use and much larger clean energy production capacities. To this end, the German government is supporting the market scale-up for green hydrogen in transport. Hydrogen and fuel cell solutions could serve as supplementary fuel for battery-driven heavy freight vehicles on long journeys, making them more efficient and environmentally friendly.
The largest hydrogen production installation in Germany currently has a capacity of 110 megawatts. As Germany continues to invest in and develop its green hydrogen infrastructure, this capacity is expected to grow, paving the way for a more sustainable future in the transport sector.
