Germany’s competitors pushing ahead with green hydrogen plans - study

Twenty countries have already decided on national hydrogen strategies or are planning to adopt them in the coming months, according to a study by the World Energy Council Germany. Germany is betting on hydrogen produced using renewable energy in its own national hydrogen strategy that underpins the country's ambitions to become a global leader in the technology. But the new report underlines the challenges Germany will face as other countries pursue their own strategies. Some plans, such as Japan’s, have been in place for years and have set ambitious goals, Klaus Stratmann writes in Handelsblatt, citing the report. France, South Korea, Australia, Norway and the Netherlands also decided strategies before Germany.

In the fight against climate change, hydrogen made with renewable electricity is increasingly seen as a silver bullet for sectors with particularly stubborn emissions, such as heavy industry and aviation. According to the study, most strategies aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also emphasise the opportunities for economic growth by creating new jobs and income streams from hydrogen trade. Some 40 billion euros are expected to be invested in green hydrogen production capacities in the European Union by 2030, the Handelsblatt report quoted Carsten Rolle, Managing Director of the World Energy Council Germany, as saying. But many strategies also remain vague on the specifics of implementation. "In many cases, the measures currently described will not be sufficient to initiate the planned growth," Rolle said, adding that a more rapid scale-up would require instruments that could reliably lower operating costs to stimulate demand.