As part of an innovation program for hydrogen under the motto "Time for a material change", the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (DVGW) will make the largest single investment in its 160-year history to date, in addition to ongoing investments. Over the next five years, around 15 million euros will flow into the areas of research, regulations, certification, training and further education as well as the association's communication. Several new full-time positions will also be created as part of this measure. The innovation program will be rounded off by the establishment of a research unit in which hydrogen expertise will be bundled.
"We started researching hydrogen over ten years ago, when the topic was not yet on everyone's lips," says Prof. Dr. Gerald Linke, Chairman of the DVGW Executive Board. "Now is the time to ring in the change in the German energy supply in concrete terms. The course is now being set for the energy system of tomorrow, for the market ramp-up and thus for the success of hydrogen as a whole. With our broad-based innovation program, we are creating the best conditions for the successful use of hydrogen in the heating, power generation, mobility and industrial sectors in the future. As the number one technical and scientific authority on hydrogen in Germany, the DVGW is thus making an important contribution to shaping the energy transition for the benefit of the general public and in the interests of climate protection."
The aim of the DVGW's H2 innovation program is to create an economical, environmentally friendly and secure supply of climate-neutral energy and thus actively shape the development of a hydrogen economy in Germany. The use of hydrogen in the existing gas infrastructure requires a comprehensive adaptation of the regulatory framework. As the responsible regulator, the DVGW plays a key role in ensuring that long-distance and distribution networks with a total length of 500,000 kilometers as well as gas appliances can be made fit for hydrogen ("H2ready"). An additional H2-only set of regulations is also being developed. Certification programs and testing principles must also be adapted and expanded in this context.
The DVGW will also intensify its cooperation with the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV). The competencies of both associations complement each other in order to jointly promote the positioning of the topic of hydrogen.
