Hydrogen is an excellent chemical energy carrier, easy to store and transport. In combination with renewable energies, it can transform the entire energy industry in a climate-neutral way. Hydrogen technologies are defined as a core element of the energy transition and the associated de-fossilisation as part of the ‘National Hydrogen Strategy’. The availability of climate-neutral hydrogen will soon be an essential basis for sustainable economic areas.
The study ‘Wasserstoffnetz Mitteldeutschland 2.0‘ (Hydrogen Network Central Germany) provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamic development of hydrogen demand in Central Germany and recognises the need for effective infrastructure planning. Central Germany is already well positioned in terms of many critical success factors such as the availability of green electricity, industrial hydrogen demand and innovative business models centred around green hydrogen. What is missing is a grid-based, large-scale infrastructure. To this end, the study connects all reported connection points and recommends a future-proof hydrogen network with 42 pipeline sections and a total length of 1,100 kilometres.
The study emphasises the importance of hydrogen as a future energy source and shows that the demand for green hydrogen and its production capacities will increase rapidly in Central Germany by 2040. The following recommendations for action are addressed to policymakers for the study area:
+ a clear political/legal framework is required for investments by infrastructure operators, producers and consumers
+ the expansion of local production facilities and storage capacities should be promoted in parallel to the core network
+ an upstream hydrogen core network is essential for supply
+ sufficient quantities of hydrogen should be ensured via imports (import quota for Central Germany: 66%)
The study ‘Wasserstoffnetz Mitteldeutschland 2.0’ was conducted by the European Metropolitan Region of Central Germany, the HYPOS hydrogen network, the DBI Group and INFRACON. 54 regional partners from business and public administration in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia took part. This makes it the largest privately funded study of its kind in Germany.
Steel that will carry hydrogen in the future.
