After the first very successful Hydrogen Industry Day, which was held in March 2022 as a joint event by Lorenz Kommunikation, WindAdvice GmbH, KWS Energy Knowledge eG and vgbe energy e.V. at Energie-Campus Deilbachtal in Essen-Kupferdreh, the second Hydrogen Industry Day took place in Wismar on February 1/2, 2023.
The past year has clearly shown the importance of the expansion of renewables and the market ramp-up of possibly green hydrogen (H2). The dependence on energy exports has to be minimised and global climate change has to be encountered with green hydrogen while simultaneously ensuring affordable supply security.
This situation was reflected accordingly in the lecture programme. In addition, the 2nd Hydrogen Industry Day, which is intended as an international energy congress, was not only to address German-speaking participants, but also visitors from the Scandinavian and Baltic regions. In this respect, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was a perfect venue for this Industry Day.
The event was conducted in two parallel lecture rooms. On the first day predominantly English-language presentations were given in the “Flughalle” and were focused on the topic of “Europe and Hydrogen” from a Scandinavian and Danish perspective. This perspective was then replaced by regional aspects such as “Research and Regional Value Creation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania” and “Transport and Shipping”.
The second lecture room covered topics such as “Power Plant Technology and Hydrogen”, “Entrepreneurial Practice” and the associated legal aspects, as well as “Hydrogen Projects in Operation”.
Already at the opening on the first day of the event, political representatives across all parties pointed out that the Baltic states and especially Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania saw themselves as future regions and export countries for renewable energies and thus also for hydrogen. This impression was further strengthened by the contributions from Scandinavia, here mainly from Denmark. It was impressively shown how the market ramp-up of green hydrogen is being driven forward.
In the coming years, Denmark will use its off-shore wind energy potential and extend their wind turbine fleet. The electricity generated in this way will be used to produce green hydrogen, 50 % of which is to be exported to Central Europe. But not only the production of hydrogen was addressed, but also the production of e.g. ammonia as a hydrogen derivative. Another important point is the CO2 infrastructure to be built in parallel to the hydrogen infrastructure.
Overall, it was noted that Denmark is very advanced in the expansion of renewables and in applying H2 in various areas including mobility and the necessary infrastructure. A very pragmatic approach is taken, often resulting in quick approvals and timely implementation. Furthermore, the country has optimal climatic conditions: Steady and very high wind speeds as well as shallow waters lead to the most favourable off-shore wind energy generation costs in all of Europe. This will give Denmark great competitive advantages in the future, as presented in the paper by Thomas Tougaard “Generating competitive advantages in CleanTech and automation/robotics”. It was explained that countries with low labour costs were likely to have fewer locational advantages in the future, but rather countries that create attractive framework conditions for automated industrial processes through low-cost renewable energies.
The first day was rounded off by a well-attended evening event which, thanks to the kind sponsorship of Volksbank Mittelhessen, gave participants ample opportunity to network and continue the lively discussions from the lecture halls.
The second day of the event continued with an interesting contribution by Werner Diwald on the topic of “Green hydrogen for a secure energy supply”. Here, the geopolitical situation and the resulting interrelationships were described in detail.
For a secure energy supply with perspective, renewable gases and liquids, i.e. green hydrogen or derivatives produced from it, are the more intelligent and sustainable alternative for a secure, sustainable and economic as well as climate-neutral energy supply.
On the second day, Sebastian Zimmerling presented the vgbe position paper “H2 Ready” and the vgbe Factsheet: “H2-Readiness for Gas Turbine Plants” and outlined the main statements on “H2 Readyness” from the association’s and operators’ point of view. The technical details presented, e.g. the H2 readiness development stages for gas turbine plants, etc. were intensively discussed. In addition, the technical framework conditions on which the position paper is based were explained.
Another outstanding contribution was given by David Siegler “European Definition of Renewable Hydrogen: Implications for the Economics of H2 Projects”.
David Siegler explained that the Delegated Act in its current form offers challenges, but also possible solutions. By starting electrolysis projects early (commissioning by the end of 2026), the regulations on transition periods can be used and additional GHG quotas can be generated by marketing in the (road) transport sector. The possibility of generating GHG quotas should not be limited to road transport in the medium term.
At the end of the event, the nearly 100 participants concluded that the ambitious goals in the expansion of renewables and thus in the market ramp-up of hydrogen can only be achieved through close and long-term partnerships and through joint and coordinated efforts. In this respect, vgbe energy e.V. is an experienced partner for the Hydrogen Industry Days, because with its more than 100 years of association history, vgbe knows about the considerable advantages that a strong community, know-how transfer and intensive networking bring. The latter was again given a lot of space at the 2nd Hydrogen Industry Day.
vgbe energy would like to thank its cooperation partners for a successful 2nd Hydrogen Industry Day, all speakers and participants for exciting discussions and Volksbank Mittelhessen for sponsoring the pleasant evening event.
The 3rd Hydrogen Industry Day will take place on March 29/30, 2023 in the Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen under the title “Path of success”. The current programme will be available shortly .
The 4th Hydrogen Industry Day is planned for July 26/27, 2023 in southern Germany.
