New Energies, new possibilities

Germany adopts long-awaited import strategy for hydrogen, but greater support for the most promising import pathways is needed.

Months after the publication of the revised national hydrogen strategy in July 2023, Germany has adopted the much-anticipated hydrogen imports strategy. In this blog, we explore what this new strategy entails and its implications for the energy future of Europe’s largest economy. 

Key Takeaways

• Due to limited domestic production capacity, Germany expects that up to 70% it’s hydrogen demand will need to be met through imports. 
• Germany should first carefully review its national clean hydrogen demand targets and the level that can realistically be met through imports by 2030. 
• The import strategy should prioritise pipeline transportation from neighbouring countries and shipping ammonia as the most efficient and cost-effective ways to import hydrogen, while taking a more cautious approach to exploring other potential options like liquid organic hydrogen carriers. 
• The strategy includes the import of both ‘green’ renewable and other low-carbon forms of hydrogen at least in the near term. However, it should go further and focus on emission-reduction merits rather than colour distinctions to ensure sufficient imported hydrogen will enter the domestic market in a timely manner and available at competitive prices to meet the needs of priority off-takers. 

What is Germany’s national hydrogen strategy, and how will it meet projected demand? 

Germany aims to be climate neutral by 2045 and has placed its bets on clean hydrogen being a significant player in its decarbonised energy mix. With Germany’s economy featuring a large and difficult-to-decarbonise industrial base, the 2023 revised strategy anticipates that domestic demand for clean hydrogen will increase to between 95–130 TWh by 2030 as sectors seek to utilise the molecule as a decarbonised feedstock and energy carrier. This estimate is viewed as ambitious and is roughly double the current consumption of conventional ‘grey’ hydrogen, which is around 55 TWh per annum. 

Meeting these significant demand volumes through domestic sources alone is challenging in an environment where production volumes are limited by available clean energy capacity (wind, solar, etc.). Because of this, the federal government estimates that up to 70% of expected hydrogen demand must be met by imports (around 45–90 TWh per annum), with volumes expected to increase exponentially up to 2045 in line with increasing end-use demand. To achieve this, Germany has outlined a dedicated framework of measures to meet these import volumes over the coming years. 

With a high reliance on imports to achieve its very ambitious hydrogen deployment over a period of only six years, Germany should first carefully review its national clean hydrogen demand targets and the level that can realistically be met through imports by 2030. Doing so will ensure that forthcoming investment and infrastructure plans are targeted to the most cost-effective and energy-efficient import methods from nearby regions at the scale required over adequate timeframes.  

What is included in Germany’s hydrogen import strategy? 

The hydrogen import strategy indicates that Germany will focus on two primary import methods: via pipeline and ship transport. Imports will be sought from a range of European and near-Europe export regions where hydrogen production capacities are expected to be higher. These plans align with recent CATF analysis, which found that the most cost-effective and energy-efficient methods of hydrogen transport is either via short distance pipeline or maritime transport of clean ammonia from neighbouring regions.  

Pipeline transportation from nearby countries can be the most efficient pathway to importing clean hydrogen, particularly when the distances are relatively short. Cross-border hydrogen trade within Europe – across EU Member States and with nearby extra-EU countries – could be implemented via existing pipelines converted for hydrogen transport. Initial projects are already being planned with Denmark, Norway and the UK, as well as larger ‘corridor’ pipelines bringing hydrogen to Germany from the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Southern European regions. Successful implementation, however, will require broad support from Member States, with actions coordinated at the EU level through the European Commission’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI). It will also require swift execution of network development projects to convert existing pipeline infrastructure. Other cross-border collaborative projects, such as Hydrogen Valleys, may also help streamline such efforts and mitigate implementation barriers.  

Imported ammonia is recommended as the most efficient shipping-based import method and should first be used only for direct ammonia applications in industrial processes or as a future transportation fuel, such as for fertiliser production or as a maritime shipping fuel. Such an approach will maximise energy utilisation and keep costs low. The strategy indicates Germany will explore ‘cracking’ ammonia to release pure hydrogen from this compound state, but this will incur significant energy losses during the conversion process – as much as 30% of the hydrogen delivered at the point of import – and so far, no commercial scale reconversion plants currently exist in Germany.  

The import strategy considers additional ship-based import pathways, including methanol, e-fuels, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC). Where these can be used for direct application, similar to ammonia, could provide a net benefit to Germany so long as a hydrogen conversion step is avoided. Other options, such as liquified or gaseous hydrogen or LOHC, would entail substantial energy penalties across the entire import value chain and the need for significant new infrastructure at the point of import. These pathways, therefore, make little sense from an energy, emissions, or cost standpoint – in fact, estimated levelized costs for these pathways could be close to double the estimated costs for importing hydrogen compared with clean ‘uncracked’ ammonia.   

Like the updated national hydrogen strategy, the import strategy includes the import of both ‘green’ renewable and other low-carbon forms of hydrogen at least in the near term – a decision taken to help establish a clean hydrogen market of adequate scale and cost. However, financing options are primarily allocated for renewable hydrogen imports, as seen with the outcomes of the first H2Global auction. Some support may be offered to low-carbon options where they meet the 3.4 kg CO2-eq/kg hydrogen emissions threshold.  

What can be done to improve the the strategy’s likelihood of success? 

Supporting a more holistic approach to how imported hydrogen is produced, focused on emission-reduction merits rather than colours, will ensure sufficient imported hydrogen will enter the domestic market in a timely manner and available at competitive prices to meet the needs of priority off-takers. 

Any imported hydrogen should be measured against greenhouse gas emission reduction merits based on rigorous emissions accounting. German policymakers should introduce a comprehensive certification scheme for all clean hydrogen production pathways, including any imported hydrogen, which is embedded in an EU and internationally harmonised framework.  

To avoid costly but ultimately unsuccessful ventures and stranded assets, Germany must prioritise identifying where realistic hydrogen demand targets for 2030 could be met by uncracked clean ammonia and what part can be reasonably imported via pipeline from neighbouring countries, building out adequate infrastructure accordingly. A better understanding of sectoral demand and how possible import constraints could be mitigated will inform a stronger policy framework for hydrogen and its derivatives, anchored around the end use sectors that need the molecule the most for their decarbonisation. 

Source:Hydrogencentral

Shell Deutschland GmbH has taken a Final Investment Decision (FID) to progress REFHYNE II, a 100-MW PEM electrolyser at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Germany. Using renewable electricity, REFHYNE II is expected to produce up to 44,000 kilograms of hydrogen per day to partially decarbonise site operations.

The electrolyser is scheduled to begin operating in 2027.

Renewable hydrogen from REFHYNE II will be used at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park to produce energy products such as transport fuels with a lower carbon intensity. Using renewable hydrogen at Shell Rheinland will help to further reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions at the facility. In the longer term, renewable hydrogen from REFHYNE II could be directly supplied to help lower industrial emissions in the region as customer demand evolves.

The project will benefit from the experience Shell and its project partners, ITM Power and Linde, have in developing, constructing and operating other renewable hydrogen projects in Europe. Other key project partners include TECNALIA, ETM, SINTEF AS, and CONCAWE.

REFHYNE II follows the success of the 10-MW PEM electrolyser REFHYNE I, which started up in 2021 and uses the same technology. Since 2021, preparations have been under way to deliver the detailed engineering plans for REFHYNE II, complete on-site groundworks, and connect to existing infrastructure.

The REFHYNE II project has been enabled by supportive policies, including the European Union’s (EU) binding targets for the use of renewable hydrogen, and the German Federal Government’s regulatory framework. The project has also received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Source:Hydrogentechworld

Siemens Energy has been awarded a contract to supply a 280-megawatt electrolysis system by German utility EWE. The plant in the German city of Emden is expected to go into operation in 2027 and will provide up to 26,000 tons of green hydrogen annually for various industrial applications in the region.

The electrolysis plant is part of EWE’s large-scale hydrogen project ‘Clean Hydrogen Coastline’, which consists of four sub-projects. The electrolyzer represents the core of the Emden hydrogen production plant, which, including other necessary components such as compressors and cooling systems, has an average power consumption of 320 MW over its entire lifetime. In addition to supplying the electrolyzer, EWE and Siemens Energy have agreed a ten-year service contract.

The German government and the European Commission had classified the project as a strategic funding measure, a so-called IPCEI project (Important Project of Common European Interest). The funding decision for this project was handed over to EWE in mid-July at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. With the signing of the contract, EWE and Siemens Energy immediately gave the go-ahead for implementation.

“This project is an important element in the ramp-up of the green hydrogen industry in Germany,” said Anne-Laure de Chammard, Member of the Executive Board of Siemens Energy. “With the long-awaited funding commitments, the German government has placed the final piece of the puzzle to realize strategically important projects like this on a large scale. The immediate conclusion of the contract with EWE demonstrates that the industry is ready to swiftly implement these projects.”

“EWE is active along the entire value chain with its hydrogen projects, from production to transportation and storage. Our choice of location in north-west Germany and our decision to work with Siemens Energy means that we are focusing on both regional and national value creation,” said EWE CEO Stefan Dohler. In a selection process that lasted twelve months, EWE had thoroughly examined ten electrolysis manufacturers worldwide. “I am delighted that we are also working with Siemens Energy on hydrogen, as the company is already a long-standing partner for EWE in all aspects of our energy infrastructure,” added Stefan Dohler.

Source:Hydrogentechworld

パナソニックは7月29日、実証施設「H2 KIBOU FIELD」で純水素型燃料電池の発電時に発生する熱を吸収式冷凍機（空調機）の熱源として活用する実証実験を開始したと発表した。エネルギー効率を向上し、年間を通して冷暖房の消費電力を50％削減に結びつける。

2022年に開所したH2 KIBOU FIELDは、太陽電池、蓄電池、純水素型燃料電池をエネルギーマネジメントシステム（EMS）制御する「3電池連携」で、気候変動や需要変化に追従した効率的な電気のエネルギー供給を実現しているという。 　パナソニック グローバル環境事業開発センター 水素事業企画室 主幹の山田剛氏は「水素を地産地消で使う意義として、熱も含めたコージェネレーション（熱電併給）の重要性にお声をいただいているのが現状。これを受け、燃料電池が排出する熱を吸収式冷凍機につなぎ、ここから出てくる冷水を利活用するソリューションの検討を始めた」と今回の実証開始の背景を話した。 　パナソニックでは独自の熱ソリューションとして、純水素型燃料電池に吸収式冷凍機を追加する取り組みを実施。純水素型燃料電池は、水素と空気中の酸素から電気と熱を作り、吸収式冷凍機は熱を利用して冷たい水を作るという役割を持つ。従来、吸収式冷凍機はインプットとして最低でも80度の温度が必要で、一方の燃料電池は出力できる温水の温度が最大で60度。20度のギャップが生じていたという。 　パナソニックでは、吸収式冷凍機のインプット温度を70度まで引き下げ、燃料電池の出力温度を70度まで引き上げることで、燃料電池と空調機をつなぐ新たな連携を実現。H2 KIBOU FIELD内で、出湯温度を改良した純水素型燃料電池10台を用い、新開発の低温廃熱利用型吸収式冷凍機1台を新設し、新たな熱利用の実証実験として施設内管理棟の冷暖房に活用するという。 　燃料電池の温水を吸収式冷凍機で冷水に変換、それを管理棟の空調に活用するという仕組み。「現時点で、この実証による省エネ効果は年間を通じて冷暖房の省エネ50％の削減を目指している」（山田氏）とする。 　燃料電池の温水を冷房に利用する今回の取り組みに加え、低温廃熱を冷房に利用したり、燃料電池の温水を機械洗浄や食品低温殺菌などに直接利用したりする新市場も想定しているとのこと。 　今回の実証実験では、純水素型燃料電池内の発電部に開発中の新規触媒を搭載するとともに、本体の耐久性を高める改良を実施し、回収できる熱の温度を60度から70度へ10度上昇させたとのこと。一方、吸収式冷凍機は吸収液の濃縮・吸収過程を改良し、既存製品と同等サイズながら最低熱源温度を80度から70度に10度引き下げ、純水素型燃料電池が発電時に発生する熱の利用を可能にしたとしている。

パナソニック、冷暖房消費電力50％削減へ--純水素燃料電池の熱など活用（CNET Japan） - Yahoo!ニュース

Reaction discovered by MIT researchers when ‘playing around’ in the lab could remove the need for marine vessels to carry massive onboard tanks filled with hydrogen, ammonia or methanol

Decarbonising the worldwide shipping industry — which produces about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions — may prve to be one of the toughest tasks on the road to achieving net-zero emissions.

Tens of thousands of vessels will need to switch from using fossil fuels to biofuels or green hydrogen-based fuel — with green ammonia or methanol currently being touted as the most likely solutions, which would require gargantuan amounts of money and renewable energy.

But what if the hydrogen could be produced onboard without the need for renewable energy, using inexpensive waste materials?

Researchers at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston believe they may have found such a solution — one that was discovered when they were “playing about” in the lab.

It has long been known that when pure aluminium (known as “aluminum” in the US] that has not been contaminated by oxygen in the air comes into contact with water, a chemical reaction occurs that produces hydrogen gas, heat and a type of aluminium oxide.

The researchers found that this reaction also worked using seawater, but that it was a pretty slow reaction.

“On a lark, they tossed into the mix some coffee grounds [the remains of coffee beans leftover after brewing coffee] and found, to their surprise, that the reaction picked up its pace,” explained an MIT press release.

“In the end, the team discovered that a low concentration of imidazole — an active ingredient in caffeine — is enough to significantly speed up the reaction, producing the same amount of hydrogen in just five minutes, compared to two hours without the added stimulant.”

Kombargi (left) and fellow researcher Niko Tsakiris (right) working on a new hydrogen reactor that will be able tp produce hydrogen gas from aluminium and seawater at sea.Photo: MIT

PhD student Aly Kombargi, who is the lead author on the resulting study, explained: “We were just playing around with things in the kitchen, and found that when we added coffee grounds into seawater and dropped aluminum pellets in, the reaction was quite fast compared to just seawater.”

However, the aluminium-water reaction comes with a “sort of Catch-22”, the university explained, as the metal forms a “shield-like layer” of oxide as soon as it comes into contact with oxygen in the air — which is why aluminium soda cans do not react with H2O.

“In previous work [in 2021], using fresh water, the team found they could pierce aluminum’s shield and keep the reaction with water going by pretreating the aluminum with a small amount of rare metal alloy made from a specific concentration of gallium and indium. The alloy serves as an ‘activator’, scrubbing away any oxide build-up and creating a pure aluminum surface that is free to react with water.”

The researchers estimate that 1g of recycled-aluminium pellets would generate 1.3 litres (0.09g) of hydrogen in five seconds. In other words, roughly 9.3kg of aluminium would be required to produce 1kg of H2.

But in order to make the process sustainable and affordable, the researchers needed to find a way of recovering and recycling the expensive gallium indium (GaIn).

They found that ions (atoms or molecules with an electrical charge) protected the GaIn from reacting with the water and helped it “precipitate into a form that can be scooped out and reused”.

“Lucky for us, seawater is an ionic solution that is very cheap and available,” said Kombargi, who tested the idea with seawater from a nearby Boston beach. “I literally went to Revere Beach with a friend and we grabbed our bottles and filled them, and then I just filtered out algae and sand, added aluminum to it, and it worked with the same consistent results.”

A researcher protects aluminum pellets from the air by dipping them in a mixture of gallium-indium.Photo: MIT

Even the waste product from the process — aluminium oxyhydroxide (also known as boehmite) — is a valuable commodity that can be collected and sold for use in a wide range of industries — including as a coating material that enhances the thermal and mechanical stability of electric vehicle batteries, as a flame retardant in plastics and electronics, and as a strengthening material in ceramics. Selling this mineral would help to lower the costs of hydrogen production.

The research team — led by mechanical engineering professor Douglas Hart — is now developing a small reactor that could run on a ship or submarine.

“The vessel would hold a supply of aluminum pellets (recycled from old soda cans and other aluminum products), along with a small amount of gallium-indium and caffeine,” MIT explained in the press release.

“These ingredients could be periodically funneled into the reactor, along with some of the surrounding seawater, to produce hydrogen on demand. The hydrogen could then fuel an onboard engine to drive a motor or generate electricity to power the ship.”

Kombargi added: “This is very interesting for maritime applications like boats or underwater vehicles because you wouldn’t have to carry around seawater — it’s readily available. We also don’t have to carry a tank of hydrogen. Instead, we would transport aluminum as the ‘fuel,’ and just add water to produce the hydrogen that we need.”

The researchers — who have published their findings in the Cell Reports Physical Science journal — did not, however, say how much the resulting hydrogen would cost to produce, merely stating at the end of their study: “The carbon footprint and overall cost of the process are subjects of ongoing analysis, with plans for a detailed life cycle analysis and further economic evaluations in upcoming studies.

“These assessments are essential to determine the sustainability and economic viability of this technology.”

Pennsylvania-based start-up GenHydro — which Hydrogen Insight interviewed back in October 2022 — is also working on producing hydrogen from scrap aluminium.

Source:Hydrogeninsight