Hydrogen - the coal of the future

Fuel cell technology using hydrogen as an energy carrier is one of the novel and innovative technologies for tomorrow's mobility and can make a significant contribution to achieving global climate protection targets. In terms of today's value chains, this technology offers enormous potential in two respects: to maintain existing supply chains and to establish new industries. However, in order to design sustainable transport concepts of the future with fuel cells, a holistic approach is required that takes into account the manufacturing, transport and infrastructure processes of hydrogen.

The French writer Jules Vernes already had a remarkable vision in mind when he spoke of "water being the coal of the future" in his novel "The Mysterious Island," published in 1870. He went on to say: "I believe that water will one day be used as a fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen, of which it is composed, singly or together, will be an inexhaustible source of heat and light". Science fiction became science. The first fuel cells were used as early as 1963 aboard a satellite and for the Gemini¬ and Apollo ¬space capsules. The first vehicle prototypes were also built as early as the 1960s.

Great potential for use in the transport sector

The German government estimates that hydrogen consumption will increase to a total of 90 to 110 billion kWh per year by 2030. Among other things, it cites the study "Industrialization of Water Electrolysis," which was coordinated by NOW GmbH on behalf of the Ministry of Transport. This also includes needs arising in the transport sector from the use of fuel cell vehicles .

The transport sector, along with the steel industry, is one of the main consumers of green hydrogen. This is generated 100 percent from renewable energy and can be stored and transported in the existing gas grid. There is definitely potential for use and increasing demand, as Manfred Limbrunner, Director Sales & Marketing, Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH, confirms. The pioneer in hydrogen and fuel cell technology has set itself the goal of developing and manufacturing sustainable energy solutions for the world of tomorrow in the mobile and stationary sectors.

Compared to conventional diesel and/or battery technologies, fuel cell systems deliver quite a few advantages, according to Limbrunner: for example, fuel cells and H2tanks are already cheaper than battery technologies in terms of specific energy costs. In addition, the vehicles are faster to deploy and lighter than batteries, and building a refueling infrastructure is easier to implement than a charging infrastructure . H2 also offers the possibility of producing one's own fuel and thus being independent of gas or oil.

There are several ways to increase the acceptance of fuel cell systems, according to Limbrunner: "Certainly through certain market introduction programs that relieve the operator and generate an increasing demand, which would have the consequence that costs could be reduced due to the growing numbers of units. In addition, environmentally harmful or obsolete technologies would simply have to be made more expensive, so that there would be no cheaper diesel for operators in the future. Tolls or entry bans could create additional hurdles."

Use value creation potential

Hydrogen will play a decisive role in the future - this is also shown by the German government's national hydrogen strategy adopted in 2020. This strategy is clearly in favor of green hydrogen, as only this is sustainable in the long term and must be supported in terms of market ramp-up and value creation. According to a study on domestic hydrogen production, Germany is considered the home market for green hydrogen. In it, the two clients of the German Renewable Energy Federation and the State Association of Renewable Energies in North Rhine-Westphalia emphasize the advantages of domestic hydrogen production and the positive economic effects:

• With a domestic hydrogen production share of 90 percent, they assume value-added effects of up to 30 billion euros in 2050.
• In addition, more than 800,000 additional jobs in Germany are possible in connection with green hydrogen production. The more important it is for the national hydrogen strategy, not only to rely on imports, but to push the expansion of renewable energies.

Currently, the entire value chain is still in Germany. To ensure that this remains so, a key objective of future strategies must be to maintain value creation and build a value network. Starting points lie above all in the large number of components and subsystems of fuel cells for mobile applications, but also stationary systems. In addition to the supplier and vehicle industry, other key sectors such as mechanical engineering and toolmaking, energy technology and system suppliers can also benefit from this. However, in order for Germany to distinguish itself as a leading technology location for fuel cells, hydrogen technologies must be researched and used more intensively. By networking all the relevant players with each other, new value-added networks can ultimately be created.

Strategies for the future

What goals are generally being pursued with the use of hydrogen technologies? In principle, achieving the national climate targets of the Paris Climate Agreement plays a key role. However, the export market for renewable energies or technologies and resources also offers great potential. Already today, Germany and Bavaria are leaders in key technologies:

• 19 percent of the world's exports of electrolysers are accounted for by Germany (including Siemens). This makes Germany currently the world's largest exporter of equipment for electrolysis.
• In the Center for Fuel Cell Technology (ZTB) at the Duisburg campus of the University of Duisburg-Essen is currently testing how hydrogen can be produced, transported and refueled. Here, too, it is agreed that hydrogen will gain in importance as a drive energy.

Efforts are underway worldwide:

• So Toyota wants to increase the production of hydrogen cars in the coming years.
• South Korea plans to produce 6.2 million fuel cell cars by 2040.
• And China has increased subsidies for the development of hydrogen vehicles.

But to actually offer a serious alternative to diesel, gasoline and electricity, one of the things that needs to be done is to significantly increase the number of hydrogen refueling stations. With the Bavarian funding program for the development of a hydrogen filling station infrastructure , another milestone in this direction has been reached: Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger launched a funding program for 100 hydrogen refueling stations in Bavaria in October 2020. The funding amounting to 50 million euros is intended to lay the foundation for a hydrogen filling station infrastructure by 2023 as well as to support domestic companies in the acquisition or conversion of hydrogen commercial vehicles (in conjunction with an in-house filling station).