Germany is looking to boost the usage of hydrogen to fill the gap from the impending nuclear power stations closure and the ongoing phase-out of coal-fired power. An incentives programme will be launched in early December that will help develop the technology that will focus on the industrial, transport and heating sectors.
The strategy will concentrate on both green and blue hydrogen. Blue hydrogen is where you break down the molecules from natural gas to produce hydrogen, a very cost-effective method, however, not without a carbon footprint as the process does emit carbon dioxide. Green hydrogen comes from wind or solar electricity through electrolysis and is a zero-emission process; however, this is an expensive process that consumes quite a lot of energy.
According to experts, to replace just 10% of gas usage Germany would need to double their offshore wind capacity which is some ask, so a two-pronged approach is thought to be the best way forward. As an indicator, about 95% of the hydrogen produced in the USA is from the gas method and steam-methane reforming according to the U.S. Energy Department.
Angela Merkel has pledged to cut Germany’s carbon footprint by half by 2030 compared with 1990 levels and this was endorsed in 2015 within the Paris Agreement on climate change. Back in 1990, Germany's carbon emissions were thought to be 1,000 million tons of CO2 and there was a great pace of decline through to 2010 hitting around 750 million tons. However, since then little improvement has been seen and so this new initiative is to try and hit the around 500 million ton CO2 target within the next eleven years.