The application of hydrogen and fuel cells has been tested, developed and further researched in Baden-Württemberg for years. Numerous players in the country are already active in the field of hydrogen and fuel cell technology today and justify the high economic potential, which was identified in the study published in 2020, “Potenziale der Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellenindustrie in Baden-Württemberg.” The framework conditions for the expansion of a hydrogen economy are thus in principle given. However, to facilitate the use and further development, Baden-Württemberg is pursuing its own hydrogen strategy, in which the networking and bundling of local H2 activities is central.
State initiative
In December 2020, “H2-Roadmap Baden-Württemberg” was published. On the basis of 29 measures, this sets out the strategic steps for establishing the state as a location for driving forward hydrogen and fuel cell technology. For this purpose, a comprehensive participation process took place, involving more than 300 stakeholders from industry, academics, associations and politics. To coordinate the individual measures and ensure their implementation, a central institution should then be created to, at the same time, serve as a common umbrella for the diverse hydrogen activities in the country. One that is cross-sector and unifying.
For this purpose, on March 1st, 2021, the state government established Plattform H2BW. The government-owned platform is located within and coordinated by e-mobil BW, the state agency for new mobility solutions. As a first step towards implementation of the H2-Roadmap, Plattform H2BW is covering the full range of topics within the entire hydrogen value chain across all relevant sectors. The field of activity is therefore tailored to this and essentially comprises five core areas.
Authors: Lena Geiger & Dr. Manuel Schaloske - both with e-mobil BW GmbH, Stuttgart
