Germany will be number one in hydrogen technologies in the world. At least that's what Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier proudly announced almost exactly a year ago. His National Hydrogen Strategy is intended to set the course for this. Is this really happening? Or is the 9 billion euro initiative a flash in the pan and we are falling into the China trap, as we did with solar energy?
Hydrogen is the great beacon of hope for achieving the stricter climate targets that the German government has set itself by 2030. Unfortunately, hydrogen is still very expensive. For some experts, it is the "champagne" of the energy transition. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer wants to make it "table water". Will that work? And is it enough to reduce the costs of hydrogen technologies? Can Germany take the lead single-handedly? What kind of hydrogen are we talking about here? Because apart from green hydrogen, the color palette offers a whole rainbow from grey to pink, none of which are truly climate-neutral. With all the success stories, are we possibly being presented with a deceptive package? The experts from the "Tech Affair" podcast say:
Prof. Dr. Welf Guntram Drossel
Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology; Board Member of the Innovation Cluster HZwo e. V.: "It's not a 100-meter sprint. But you won't win this battle with an initial pace like a marathon."
Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, Member of the German Bundestag and Innovation Commissioner for Green Hydrogen at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research since June 2020: "Green hydrogen is currently only available on a laboratory scale."
Dr. Manfred Schuckert, Head of Emissions and Safety, Daimler Commercial Vehicles, External Affairs: "The Chinese are driving hydrogen technologies forward with an incredible amount of money. We are doing the same, but we are a little slower in terms of bureaucracy."
You can listen to the VDW's podcast "Tech Affair - Industry for Future" at:https://vdw.de/podcast/wasserstoff-tech-affair/ to find out what the chances actually are of achieving the energy transition with green hydrogen.
