In October 2021, the association Hydrogen Europe unveiled its Clean Hydrogen Monitor 2021. This is the second edition of the paid-for guide which aims to give an overview of European hydrogen applications through an extensive array of facts, figures and analysis.
Hydrogen Europe
DWV demands concrete roadmap for economic miracle
On October 26th, 2021, the German national association for hydrogen and fuel cells (Deutsche Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellenverband, DWV) celebrated its 25-year anniversary at the Vertretung Niedersachsen in Berlin and appropriately held a parliamentary evening with numerous prominent participants. A central theme was that DWV has been advocating for a sustainable hydrogen and fuel cell industry since 1996 and now also expects agreement from the new federal government on a detailed, concrete roadmap for the ramp-up of an H2 economy.
Europe has set the course for the H2 economy
Guest article by Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe
In January 2020, Hydrogen Europe’s Executive Board published a visionary paper outlining the path to ramp up a hydrogen economy with twice 40 GW of electrolysis capacity in Europe and the neighbourhood. At that time, it was not yet foreseeable what a ground-breaking character this position paper would have. Because only a few weeks later, a worldwide pandemic broke out that was to have a massive impact on the global economy and politics. Especially in the area of energy demand, a considerable decline was recorded, there were massive drops in the sectors of coal, crude oil and also natural gas. The only sector that developed positively – albeit at a low level – was the renewable energy sector. At that time, it was hardly possible to estimate how much the pandemic would affect further economic development. The crisis that has now occurred had the potential to unhinge the ambitious European Green Deal, the European response to climate change and the challenge of the Paris climate targets.
Løkke now heads Hydrogen Europe
The European Hydrogen Association has reorganised itself. In June 2021, Hydrogen Europe announced that Jon André Løkke would henceforth be the Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Løkke succeeds Valerie Bouillon-Delporte, who had held the post since 2017.
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis – Mr. Hydrogen in Brussels
Georgios “Jorgo” Chatzimarkakis was born in Duisburg, Germany, in 1966. He holds German and Greek nationality, a degree in agriculture and politics from the University of Bonn, and even back then, he had already showed a strong interest in economic history and international and European law, making his entry into politics an easier one. He went on to work for Germany’s Foreign Office, as a business consultant, as an associate professor in the field of European Politics and until 2014 for Germany’s Free Democrats
Three New Board Members at Hydrogen Europe
The changes on the Hydrogen Europe board are not over yet. At the assembly in Brussels on Nov. 24, 2016, the association’s members elected Nils Aldag from sunfire as energy chair, Denis Thomas from Hydrogenics as membership and joint undertaking commitment chair and Werner Diwald from the DWV as association pillar chair. Aldag replaced Katharina Beumelburg from Siemens and Thomas succeeded Thomas Melczer, who used to work at Proton Motor
New Hydrogen Europe Board
Hydrogen Europe has a new board. The European hydrogen association, formerly known as New Energy World Industry Grouping (NEW-IG) until it changed its name in November 2015, elected three new board members at the end of this June. Its chair has since been Raphaël Schoentgen, director of research and technologies at French energy supply company Engie. He followed in the footsteps of Pierre-Etienne Franc