June 2020
Hydrogen has long been on the political agenda on a national and European level. Being pushed by the Green Deal of the European Commission, hydrogen is now on the way to become an overall game changer for German industry. As part of a €130 billion heavy economic stimulus package, the German Federal Government has allocated the substantial amount of €9 billion for the hydrogen sector, in addition to the existing hydrogen-related investments and R&D programs. This stimulus package together with the National Hydrogen Strategy (Nationale Wasserstoffstrategie), which were passed on the June 3 and 10, 2020 respectively, provide an enormous boost for the hydrogen market. The German Government aims to generate 5 GW of electrolyzer capacity by 2030 and an additional 5 GW later on.
Through this program, the German Federal Government acknowledges the key role which hydrogen can play in taking energy markets to the next level by coupling gas and electricity, facilitating the integration of renewables, and providing decarbonization solutions for the mobility sector and carbon-heavy industries such as chemicals, petrochemicals and steel. Highlighting its huge economic potential and existing capabilities, hydrogen is seen as an opportunity to mitigate the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and to help the country emerge even stronger from the crisis.
