Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

The Great Hydrogen Reset — Is It Germany's Turn? Ep176: Eva Schmid

Sep 11, 2024

In this insightful discussion, expert Eva Schmid, Director of Hydrogen and Synthetic Energy Carriers at DENA, dives deep into Germany's ambitious green hydrogen initiatives. She analyzes how Germany is strategically replacing coal and nuclear power, despite geopolitical energy challenges. Schmid discusses the evolving hydrogen production targets, the importance of international partnerships, and the economic implications of hydrogen as a climate solution. She also addresses the cost complexities and the essential role hydrogen plays in ensuring energy resilience.

01:23:54

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Eva Schmid

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Quick takeaways

Germany is aggressively pursuing a hydrogen strategy to bolster energy resilience following the significant impacts of the Ukraine crisis.

The ambitious target of generating 10 gigawatts of electrolyzer capacity by 2030 highlights Germany's urgent need for sustainable energy solutions.

Concerns about the economic viability and competitive pricing of hydrogen underscore the necessity for transparent policy communication and effective infrastructure investments.

Deep dives

The Current Hydrogen Landscape

The ongoing discourse around hydrogen, especially in Germany, centers on its potential role as a backup energy source during periods of low electricity supply. Despite optimistic forecasts, the real cost of hydrogen production is likely to be much higher than the projections suggest. This has led to a critical reevaluation, as stakeholders come to terms with the need for a more realistic approach to hydrogen's economics and its future role in decarbonization strategies. The fundamental understanding is that transitioning to affordable hydrogen won’t be an immediate outcome, and as a result, many actors may seek alternative solutions for reducing carbon emissions.

Hydrogen Ambitions: Doubling Down on Green Energy

01:17

Focus on Direction Over Numbers

01:38

Hydrogen Production Must Align with Economic Viability

01:24

Navigate Ambiguity to Enhance Hydrogen Strategy

01:46

Intro

2min

Germany's Green Hydrogen Ambitions

11min

Germany's Hydrogen Strategy: Challenges and Goals

8min

Germany's Hydrogen Ambitions

14min

Navigating the Hydrogen Economy

10min

Exploring Hydrogen's Role in Energy Resilience and Cost Challenges

5min

Economics of Green Hydrogen Production

23min

Navigating the Hydrogen Marketplace

9min

Conclusion and Resources on Hydrogen Strategy

2min

Germany is one of the most bullish countries in the world on clean/green hydrogen. The home of the Energiewende is not just one of the most committed countries in the world to reaching net zero, it is of course a highly industrialised nation with a very energy-intensive economy. As if that were not enough, it had one third of its energy supply yanked out from under it as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Green hydrogen has become one of the mainstays of efforts to keep the lights on as the country replaces nuclear and coal power with wind and solar, and also of efforts to replace cheap Russian gas in power generation and industry. But can green hydrogen possibly live up to expectations?

This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich is joined by someone who works at the heart of Germany’s hydrogen policy-making machine: Eva Schmid is Director of Hydrogen and Synthetic Energy Carriers at DENA, the German Energy Agency, a think tank that works with the German government to deliver its energy strategy. As you’ll see she has a clear-eyed sense of what hydrogen can and can’t be expected to do, and a focus on using it to protect the resilience of the German economy.

Leadership Circle

We are delighted to announce the Cleaning Up Leadership Circle, and our founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle and how to become a member, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live

Links & more:

DENA, The German Energy Agency: https://www.dena.de/en/home/
Germany's National Hydrogen Strategy, 2023: https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/EN/Publikationen/Energie/national-hydrogen-strategy-update.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2
Hydrogen Import Strategy: https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/EN/Hydrogen/Downloads/importstrategy-hydrogen.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1
The EU Hydrogen Strategy: https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-systems-integration/hydrogen/key-actions-eu-hydrogen-strategy_en
European Court of Auditors hydrogen report: https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublications/SR-2024-11/SR-2024-11_EN.pdf
EU Commissions response to Auditors report: https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECAReplies/COM-Replies-SR-2024-11/COM-Replies-SR-2024-11_EN.pdf

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