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Fuel cells enter luxury market

Fuel cells enter luxury market

Portrait Thierry Bolloré, © Jaguar Land Rover

© Jaguar Land Rover

Support for hydrogen came from unexpected quarters in 2021. British luxury vehicle manufacturer Jaguar reported last June that its Land Rover brand would be developing a prototype of a hydrogen-powered Defender. CEO Thierry Bolloré had previously announced plans to decarbonize all vehicle models by 2036 as part of his Reimagine strategy. However, the first all-electric version of an SUV is not due to launch until 2024 at the earliest. Nick Rogers, who heads up JLR’s product development, told vision mobility magazine: “It’s absolutely really, really important; we truly believe that hydrogen has a real place and opportunity, particularly in the bigger vehicles.” (more…)

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Interview with Dr. Stephan Reimelt, German branch leader of Bloom Energy

Interview with Dr. Stephan Reimelt, German branch leader of Bloom Energy

Portrait Dr. Stephan Reimelt, © Bloom

© Bloom

The enormous interest in hydrogen and fuel cell technology has brought a lot of attention to the publicly listed companies in this field. Fuel cell producers like Bloom Energy, however, are finding it difficult to benefit to a comparable extent from the upswing in the H2 sector because their plants are still dependent on fossil gases for the time being. H2-international talked to the head of business development at Bloom Energy Germany, Dr. Stephan Reimelt, about some challenges involved in supplying decentralized energy through fuel cell plants. (more…)

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Debut of stationary hydrogen engines?

Debut of stationary hydrogen engines?

MAN - engine operated with up to 25 percent hydrogen

engine operated with up to 25 percent hydrogen © MAN

The whole world is talking about the imminent end of combustion engines, on possible bans on oil and diesel combustion engines. But what about hydrogen motors, especially for stationary applications? In the German-speaking domain, companies such as 2G and Innio are particularly active in this sector. Globally, companies like Wärtsilä and MAN are also pushing for this technology route. (more…)

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Policy instruments for market introduction

Policy instruments for market introduction

chart with requirement of green hydrogen in different sectors, © Agora Energiewende

© Agora Energiewende 2021

The think tank Agora Energiewende in a joint study with the consulting firm Guidehouse analyzed the most important policy instruments for introduction of green hydrogen to the market. Along the route to climate neutrality in 2045, Germany needs 60 terawatt-hours of CO2-free hydrogen already by 2030, mainly for the development of a climate-neutral industry and security of electrical supply (Prognos et al. 2021). To promote the expansion of hydrogen production through renewables in an economically prudent way, financial resources should flow primarily to areas where future markets for green hydrogen are indisputably being created. So far, renewable green hydrogen is not yet competitive with hydrogen generated from fossil fuels, which is mostly produced by steam reforming of natural gas. (more…)

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Region Series: HyExperts – Region Emscher-Lippe

Region Series: HyExperts – Region Emscher-Lippe

 

Preject chart, © HyExperts Region Emscher-Lippe

Preject chart, © HyExperts Region Emscher-Lippe

The region Emscher-Lippe lies at the heart of Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) and consists of District Recklinghausen along with the district-free cities Bottrop and Gelsenkirchen. The two rivers Emscher and Lippe give the region its name. Nearly 1 million people live there, in an area of about 966 km² (373 mi2). It is one of the most densely populated areas in Germany, made up of large cities, rural areas and intermediate spaces. The companies there are mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, but global players are also present, a mix characteristic of NRW. (more…)

Closer cooperation with Dubai

Despite dubious past experience with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa region, in November 2021 the German government signed a declaration of intent with the United Arab Emirates covering the establishment of an Emirati-German task force for hydrogen and synthetic fuels. The deal was given the seal of approval in Dubai by Andreas Feicht, the former state secretary to the German economy minister, and Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE energy minister. The agreement, which proposes greater collaboration between the two countries on green hydrogen, was preceded by an initial electrolyzer pilot project conducted by Siemens Energy and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority in May 2021.