It is hot, it is crowded, and loudspeakers are urging visitors to keep the hall doors closed so that the air conditioning can work properly. The trade fair has 2,800 exhibitors, and by the time this issue goes to press, 2,800 visitors are expected.
Renewables 24/7 The trade fair, which started out as Intersolar, has long ceased to be a pure solar event. Storage technologies, e-mobility and grid integration have been an integral part of it for years. The Smarter E is thus also a platform where sectors converge technically and where overall solutions are repeatedly discussed.
An idea of what a fully renewable energy system could look like is showcased this time in a special exhibit titled Renewables 24/7. There is also an application example from the hydrogen sector to be seen there, a 54 MW PEM electrolyzer at BASF in Ludwigshafen.
Strong interest For several years now, providers of hydrogen technologies have been appearing among the battery storage exhibitors. This year, the Munich trade fair is hosting the Hydrogen Dialogue for the first time, a format that previously took place in Nuremberg. It consists of a conference at the congress center and an open forum on the trade fair floor.
This is an opportunity for hydrogen and green electricity to come closer together, as the organizers explained the idea. Around the forum, the concept seems to be working. “The questions from the audience are open-minded and interested,” is the impression of Olivier Bucheli, who advised the trade fair on the technical orientation of the hydrogen forum in the exhibition halls. Silke Frank of Hydrogen Moves, whose booth is located right next to the forum, also praised the good exchange.
Molecules versus electrons? At the opening of the Hydrogen Dialogue Summit at the conference center, however, one gets a different impression. Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger complained that in his state they were struggling to “desperately prevent brownouts,” since too much solar power keeps flooding the grids. In general, one sometimes gets the impression that hydrogen and green electricity are not partners in the energy transition, but bitter enemies. “Electrons are on the left, molecules are on the right,” said Professor Michael Sterner of the OTH Regensburg (Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg). And Jorgo Chatzimarkakis of Hydrogen Europe, known for his punchy statements, spoke of “electro-Taliban.”
If hydrogen and renewable electricity are actually to become a resilient energy supply for Europe, there are still some bridges to be built. Perhaps Munich is the place for it.
