Germany
launches the "National Hydrogen Energy Strategy", a multi-agent action dedicated to environmental protection
Li Shan, our reporter in Germany
In terms of energy, in 2020, Germany attaches great importance to "green hydrogen energy", regards hydrogen as a key raw material for the success of Germany's energy transition, released the "National Hydrogen Energy Strategy" with a total investment of 9 billion euros, and launched 38 specific measures covering hydrogen production Many aspects such as manufacturing and application.
In the field of production, we are committed to the innovation of traditional electrolytic hydrogen production methods.
Helmholtz Berlin Research Center Solar Fuel Research Institute is developing new types of photosynthetic electrodes and catalysts that can be produced cheaply, integrating electrolyzers and solar cells into a whole, so that sunlight can be used directly to split water.
The technology is still in the experimental stage and can convert about 8% of solar energy into hydrogen.
In the storage field, research various hydrogen storage and transportation possibilities, such as underground hydrogen storage, hydrogen storage using existing natural gas storage facilities, and solid hydrogen storage.
The Helmholtz Geisthacht Research Center uses powdered metal to effectively improve the hydrogen storage efficiency, and achieves hydrogen storage at room temperature and a pressure of 10 to 50 bar.
The compact metal hydride hydrogen storage device currently under development is only one-tenth the volume of similar gas tanks.
In the field of transportation, in addition to paying attention to the use of Germany’s developed natural gas pipeline network to transmit gaseous hydrogen, based on the characteristics that hydrogen can react with unsaturated organic compounds to form energy-rich liquids, organic liquid hydride hydrogen storage technology is being developed to make hydrogen like petroleum Same storage or transportation.
In the application field, Germany focuses on improving the efficiency, life and performance of hydrogen fuel cells.
In addition, Germany has integrated hydrogen technology into the energy system from a system analysis perspective.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing has successfully developed software that enables power companies to analyze and transfer loads, integrate storage facilities into urban infrastructure, and improve efficiency through cross-energy management.
In terms of solar energy, the Helmholtz Berlin Energy and Materials Center has developed a new perovskite-silicon-series solar cell with an efficiency of 29.15%, setting a new world record for solar cell efficiency.
The Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research found that the microstructure in perovskite crystals affects the speed of electron movement, and the clever arrangement of these electronic channels can make perovskite solar cells more efficient.
In terms of environmental protection, the "Arctic Climate Research Multidisciplinary Drift Observatory" led by the German Alfred Wegener Institute-Helmholtz Polar and Ocean Research Center successfully conducted a one-year comprehensive study of the Arctic.
Researchers have collected 150 trillion bytes of data and more than 1,000 ice samples. Through the first anniversary of the Arctic region observation data, they can deepen their understanding of the coupling process between the atmosphere-sea ice-ocean-ecosystem in the central Arctic sea and improve Arctic weather forecasts, The ability to forecast sea ice and climate.
In terms of climate protection, Germany is committed to achieving the goal of climate neutrality within the EU by 2050, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990.
In the next few years, 23%-31% of Germany's budget will be allocated to climate-related fields, including measures such as cutting value-added tax, lowering electricity prices, and providing subsidies for future-oriented technological innovations.
In terms of corporate actions, in November 2020, Lufthansa, Germany, completed its first "carbon neutral" cargo flight from Frankfurt to Shanghai's Boeing 777 freighter.
The round trip of the flight uses sustainable jet fuel made from animal and vegetable oils, which reduces the carbon footprint by about 80% compared to using traditional jet fuel, and the remaining 20% of the carbon footprint will be offset by tree planting.