Climate: Germany wants to become "world number 1" in hydrogen

Text by: Pascal Thibaut Follow

Become the world number one. Nothing less. Berlin wants to massively develop the use of hydrogen to support the energy transition but also to develop an economic sector of the future. The plan was presented on June 10.

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From our correspondent in Berlin,

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier wore a green tie to present the German government's hydrogen plan. This strategy should make it easier for Germany to reach its climate objectives and encourage the decarbonisation of its economy. But beyond that, it is also an industrial strategy which, according to Peter Altmaier, should enable Germany to become the world number one in hydrogen.

The plan is presented several months late due to differences within the grand coalition. The coronavirus pandemic has speeded things up. The nine billion euros of public money that Berlin will invest in this sector is part of the much broader stimulus plan presented last week, a plan that also wants to support projects for the future.

Hydrogen is used to store electricity on a large scale. It is used today in heavy industry such as steel or chemicals but uses fossil fuels for its production. In the future, solar and wind should be given priority. Tax incentives should help this transition.

For the automobile, hydrogen remains little used today. It could be more important in the future for electric vehicles. Investments in research and development are also planned to solve technical problems and costs that are still significant.

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• Germany
• Energies

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