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20 Mar 2020, 13:55
Freja Eriksen

Researchers' hydrogen road map expects 50 to 80 GW capacity in Germany by 2050

Clean Energy Wire

A hydrogen road map by the research organisation Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) expects a production capacity of 50 to 80 gigawatts (GW) in Germany alone by 2050. To reach this magnitude, annual growth rates in the double-digit megawatt range must be achieved immediately, and in the 1 GW range by the end of the 2020s, writes Fraunhofer ISE. The technology of producing green hydrogen with renewable energy through electrolysis will become "a decisive industrial policy component in Germany, not only for the production of the hydrogen required in this country, but also as a flexibility option in the German power grid and as a core technology for the international export market," the research institution says. German manufacturers in electrolysis and fuel cells could gain added value of about 32 billion euros, based on an estimate of the global installed electrolysis capacity reaching 3,000 GW in 2050, says Fraunhofer.

Green hydrogen is seen as a solution to some of the energy transition's most difficult challenges, as it provides a viable solution for emissions-free energy supply in transport or industry applications. The German government is working on a highly anticipated hydrogen strategy. Recently, Germany's largest energy company RWE, together with oil company BP, chemicals producer Evonik and gas grid operators announced the construction of the country's first publicly accessible hydrogen distribution network. 

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