Australia potentially huge partner for German hydrogen ambitions – industry

The Federation of German Industries (BDI) regards Australia as a potential "future hydrogen giant" and says the vast and sun-rich country in the southern hemisphere could play an important role in Germany's plans to make hydrogen a pillar of its energy transition, Andreas Mihm writes in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Harvesting solar power for hydrogen production is three times more efficient in Australia than in central Europe, and the country is more attractive for investors than many equally sun-rich places thanks to its political stability and well-developed infrastructure, Mihm writes. German companies are eager to get their hands on renewable hydrogen as early as 2025 in order to decarbonise their activities, but most experts believe the quantities required will far exceed German domestic production. However, many Australian energy experts so far did not factor in Germany's rapidly growing interest in green hydrogen imports, which the BDI hopes to change quickly in order to help "build a new global market" for the CO2-neutral fuel. 

Germany's economy minister Peter Altmaier in early October announced that hydrogen would be a key part of the country's future energy system and several pilot projects in Germany attempt to bring production with renewable energy to an industrial scale. According to NGO Greenpeace, Germany will require large amounts of hydrogen to reach its climate targets and solve some of the Energiewende’s toughest challenges, such as energy storage and heavy-duty freight transport.