DVGW and AGFW: 2023 is crucial for the market ramp-up of hydrogen

01/25/2023

Source: Energy & Management Powernews

The gas and water industry sees this year as crucial for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. Technically everything is prepared, now the new gas must only come.

In this year it decides according to opinion of the DVGW whether Germany becomes hydrogen country and thus world-wide prominent with the future energy carrier. The DVGW is the industry association of the German gas and water industry. Politicians and industry have proven that together they are capable of providing sufficient quantities of alternatives to Russian pipeline gas in the short term. DVGW Board Chairman Prof. Gerald Linke praised the speedy approval procedures and the rapid construction of plants for feeding in imported liquefied natural gas, as well as the rapid filling of gas storage facilities.

At the same time, Linke warned journalists in Berlin: "The market ramp-up for hydrogen must finally be manifested in a binding manner." Industry and science needed a binding basis to invest and research. The gas infrastructure will also be needed in the future and must be made hydrogen-ready. Laboratory and practical tests have already proven that this is possible. Now it is a matter of making hydrogen available through imports and own production, if necessary initially from non-renewable sources.

Municipal heat planning also with hydrogen

According to Linke, there is great potential for the use of climate-neutral gases and hydrogen, particularly in the heating market. "Nowhere else is the savings potential of climate-damaging gases as great as in heating," he reminded. Around 40 million households emitted more than 200 million tons of carbon dioxide, or around 20 percent of all CO2 emissions in Germany. The DVGW therefore provides orientation for municipal heating planning in a practical guide. (See link to the guide)

H2 Competence Network of the German Energy Industry

According to the association, the energy turnaround should be implemented in a way that is open to technology and with a sense of proportion for the national economy. To this end, the DVGW and four research institutes have founded the H2 Competence Network of the German Energy Industry. The alliance is intended to bundle hydrogen expertise in Germany and quickly bring hydrogen technologies to market maturity through application-oriented research. This is intended to pave the way for hydrogen, particularly in the areas of traditional grid-based energy supply.

A so-called H2 standardization roadmap is said to be in the works by the association on behalf of the German government, together with the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and the project partners DKE, NWB, VDI and VDMA. It is intended to further develop the body of standards and regulations for hydrogen technologies. "This roadmap will create the technical basis for the hydrogen ramp-up in Germany and thus the energy transition to succeed," Linke announced. He said the project had been approved by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWK) for January 1, 2023.

Ensuring the resilience of water supplies

In times of climate change, the resilience of water supplies is also moving into the focus of public consideration. "With the water supply it is like with the gas supply: as long as drinking water flows, no one worries about it," said Wolf Merkel, board member for water at DVGW. "Against the backdrop of significant climate change and risks to public services, it cannot be taken for granted that even in a highly developed industrialized country like Germany, drinking water will be available permanently, at all times and everywhere in excellent quality," he cautioned.

That is why the priority of public water supply must be guaranteed against the backdrop of the usage interests of other groups. Hydrogen production, however, will only require one-thousandth of today's usual water demand and is therefore not a problem, Wolf assured when asked.

National water strategy right way

But the water infrastructure must be continuously adapted to the requirements of the future. The DVGW also supports the water industry in defending against cyberattacks, Merkel assured. Safe water supply is made more difficult by increasing land consumption at the expense of protected areas or pollutant inputs, for example through unchecked use of medicines, pesticides and fertilizers, which in turn leads to an increasing burden on the drinking water system.

The DVGW therefore welcomes the decision of the German government to respond to the pressing problems with the National Water Strategy. "What is positive is the clear will to act across ministries in a supra-regional initiative, instead of reacting to individual impulses from the EU," Merkel praised. Now, she said, the task must be to actively support the federal government's action programs in the coming years.

The Guide for Municipal Heat Planning by DVGW and AGFW is available on the Internet.

Author: Susanne Harmsen