With one of the largest hydrogen production facilities in Europe and the refueling center in Marl, the company not only supplies local companies, but also chemical sites throughout Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW). As the H2EL hydrogen coordinator, we keep an eye on all projects in the region and their progress and create the necessary transparency regarding the market ramp-up through our regular monitoring. Our Hydrogen Roadmap 2024 is simultaneously a progress report, an inventory and an outlook on the development of the hydrogen economy in the Emscher-Lippe region.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz took time for the opening of a new H2 gas station four days before the federal election. In Bremerhaven, together with representatives of HY.City.Bremerhaven as well as Bremen's mayor Andreas Bovenschulte and SPD member of the Bundestag Uwe Schmidt, Scholz cut the ribbon...
Together with Air Liquide, Limak Cement Group has successfully tested the first hydrogen-blended fuel supply for cement production in Ankara, Turkey. H2-international conducted an interview with Erkam Kocakerim, CEO of Limak Cement Global.
For around five years, the number of employees in the renewable energy sector has been steadily increasing again. Nevertheless, in Germany, it is not at its historic high. That was in 2011, at over 400,000 employees. Due to political and regulatory circumstances, this number fell by around 100,000 workers over the next eight years. The solar industry in particular has recorded heavy losses. Now, it is on the upswing again. Similar to green hydrogen, which is right where the solar industry was 20 years ago.
What developments! We are living in turbulent times. Several transformative processes are currently taking place at the same time: Not only the energy, transport and heating transition with the move away from fossil fuels or the social trend towards increasingly autocratic structures, but also the...
UFI Hydrogen may not yet be particularly well known to many industry participants in Germany, but the company, based in the Trento area of Italy, is part of the globally active UFI Group, which has 57 commercial offices and 22 plants worldwide (in Europe, Tunisia, China, India, Korea and Brazil, among others). Its products, mainly filters and components for thermal management, are in demand in many sectors. H2-international spoke to Marco Lazzaroni, CEO of UFI Hydrogen, the youngest company in the UFI Group, about the current economic situation in Europe, the potential of the H2 economy and, of course, the ambitions of UFI’s hydrogen business.
Four days of energy policy cooperation in Brussels – The European Hydrogen Week took place for the third time in Belgium from November 18 to 21, 2024. Organized by Hydrogen Europe, the European hydrogen association, a total of 220 exhibitors and, during the conference, numerous stakeholders...
A new study by the consulting firm DNV investigates the H2 export potential from Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states as well as alternative transport routes to Germany and Central Europe. The study shows whether there is sufficient potential for the production of hydrogen for export in the Baltic Sea region, how economically this hydrogen can be produced and how the countries in the region can benefit from the development of an H2 network and the corresponding trade in hydrogen. For the large-scale export of hydrogen, pan-European pipeline systems can play a decisive role, which is why the study also contains a comparative analysis of possible pipeline routes.
Green hydrogen is considered one of the key ingredients for meeting global climate targets. And it is also a possible alternative to gas, which makes the need to accelerate the hydrogen economy in Germany and Europe all the more urgent. However, establishing a hydrogen economy requires more than just innovative technologies for its production, transmission and utilization. It demands digital solutions to raise efficiency, forecast hydrogen demand and supply, monitor transmission and storage and ensure the safe use of hydrogen in a variety of applications. Yet there has so far been little or insufficient sharing of the data needed to perform these tasks among potential market participants. The primary reasons for this are a lack of trust and a fear of competitive disadvantage. The HyTrust project, funded by the German education and research ministry, now intends to tackle these challenges by creating a data trustee model in the hydrogen economy.
Extremely high demands are placed on tools for punching, stamping and forming sheet metals. In some cases, accuracies of between 1 µm and 2 µm are required during manufacturing. The level of challenge increases drastically the larger the tool and the thinner the sheet. The stamping plates for the sheet-metal parts in fuel cell bipolar plates are a prime example. Bipolar plates are thin structures made from welded sheet-metal half shells that enclose the filigree flow fields. They are built up one after another in many layers, with the membrane electrode assemblies sandwiched in between, to produce the final stack.
GKN Hydrogen has developed a complete containerized storage system which allows hydrogen to be stored in discs of metal hydride powder. The solution employs solid-state technology to store hydrogen safely for long periods. The pioneering company based in Pfalzen, northern Italy, became part of the British engineering corporation Langley in August 2024.
Two German universities in Oldenburg and Hanover and the Polish training company Studium Wodoru are proving that cross-border training for pioneers in the green hydrogen industry makes sense. The Polish edition of this program has just started for the second time.
Hydrogen pipeline networks are not suitable for meeting the requirements of municipal heat planning in the allotted time. There are still too many uncertainties when it comes to converting the natural gas grid. This is the conclusion reached by a Hamburg law firm.
Things have become quiet in H2 mobility. At the cafe tables and also on Facebook, the topic of fuel cell versus battery-powered vehicles is discussed much less frequently and more subdued than it was two years ago, since it is gradually starting to sink in that hydrogen cars will not be available at...
Where East Germany’s famous Trabant cars were once made, H2 trucks will now exit cleanly from the production hall. This technological shift from two-stroke engines to fuel cell trucks won’t just benefit automotive service provider FES. Michael Kretschmer, minister president of the German state of Sachsen who witnessed the milestone on July 22, 2024, hopes the region as a whole will reap the rewards.
In its last legislative period, the EU with the Green Deal agreed on net-zero decarbonization by 2050 – as the first continent ever. This is a bold and necessary step. Hydrogen plays an important role here. The new EU Commission must not lose this momentum, because slowness and nit-picking could jeopardize the goals of the Green Deal. To counter this, it helps to take a look at the reports of the European Court of Auditors (ECA).
Bipolar plates based on carbon can be a cheaper and, at the same time, scalable alternative to titanium, think researchers at the institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT. A new and patented carbon-based bipolar plate from the scientists consists of a thermoplastic polymer-bonded carbon matrix with conductive...
For some months now, more and more companies have been entering the market for H2 refueling stations. Although their total number still have not substantially increased, increasingly more well-established as well as numerous new providers are announcing their intentions of opening additional locations for the supply of hydrogen.
In the chemical park Leuna, there was an accident involving hydrogen on August 26, 2024. During a deflagration reaction, there was a loud bang followed by a fire in the morning on the premises of the gas producer Linde.
At the end of July 2024, the German government published its long-awaited hydrogen import strategy – at least that is what the document’s official title suggests. However, strategic pronouncements are virtually nowhere to be found. The mechanical engineering association VDMA calls it, appropriately...
On July 22, 2024, the transmission system operators submitted a draft application to the BNetzA to build the envisaged H2 core grid. With a planned total length of 9,666 km (6,006 mi), it will predominantly consist of converted natural gas pipelines (about 60 percent). The Doing Hydrogen route that...
The EU has set itself overly ambitious targets in its hydrogen strategy for 2030. This was the conclusion made by the auditors of the ECA in a special report published July 2024. They are now calling for an adaption of the strategy and better controlling.
The Norwegian company REC Solar once produced photovoltaic systems in Narvik. Today, the factory buildings stand empty. With two areas of around 5,000 square meters and cleanroom equipment, they offer good conditions for setting up fuel cell production there. The startup Teco 2030 plans to manufacture PEM fuel cells with a high power density on a gigawatt scale there in just a few years’ time.
Like a dating site, the international hydrogen marketplace Localiser has been connecting the players in the hydrogen value chain for two years. Around 500 companies have been registered so far. The marketplace now also includes other European countries.
How to ramp up the production of green hydrogen in just a few years and distribute it quickly across the country independently of the development of the H2 core network explained Jens Cruse, shipbuilding engineer, at the end of January this year before an expert audience in Hamburg.
