Politics and Law

Automobile manufacturers are to reduce the emissions of their vehicle fleets by 90 percent by 2035. The remaining ten percent can be compensated with e-fuels and green steel from Europe. Hydrogen Europe hopes for a new lead market for climate-friendly steel.

A new study by the TransHyDE project analyzes possible development paths for the European hydrogen system until 2050. It calls for swift political decisions to reduce costs, ensure supply security, and avoid misguided investments.

Ahead of the World Climate Conference, the EU environment ministers have agreed to weaken the European climate targets. This includes a later introduction of emissions trading ETS2. 

For hydrogen to be able to be used as an important part of the energy transition comprehensively in industry, mobility and energy supply in Germany, new lines must be built and existing natural gas pipelines must also be upgraded for hydrogen transport. This can be challenging, as hydrogen is explosive and attacks the materials of the pipes. Professional material testing creates the necessary security regarding this.

When the European Hydrogen Bank’s first pilot auction (Innovation Fund Auction IF23) was announced on Sept. 5, 2023, it drew much attention. April 30, 2024, then saw the publication of the results for the pilot auction, for which the European Union was making EUR 800 million of support available. Seven projects from northern and southern Europe were successful in obtaining funding. The aim of the hydrogen auction is to accelerate the rollout of green hydrogen and send price signals by narrowing the cost gap between green and fossil-based hydrogen.

The European Commission is allocating nearly 720 million euros to seven projects for renewable hydrogen in Europe. Together, the involved stakeholders aim to produce 1.58 million tons of renewable hydrogen over ten years, thereby avoiding more than 10 million tons of CO2 emissions. Of the selected...

The decision has finally come. In mid-February 2024, the European Commission approved 24 German IPCEI projects aka Important Projects of Common European Interest. Within the framework of IPCEI Hydrogen, funding is granted to large-scale projects across the entire hydrogen value chain – from H₂ production and transportation to storage infrastructure and industrial deployment.