Still scrambling with the fallout from the Ukraine war that exposed Germany’s over-reliance on Russia for critical supplies of natural gas, Europe’s largest economy is determined not to repeat the mistake when it comes to low-carbon fuels. It is therefore spreading its appetite worldwide in the hunt for clean hydrogen and its derivatives.
“Germany is now even more aware, because of the invasion of Ukraine, that it doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes that it made in natural gas in hydrogen,” says Dana Kirchem from the German Institute for Economic Research, or DIW. “So, we don’t want to be very dependent on one partner, we want to diversify our sources.”
As Europe’s industrial powerhouse turns its back on nuclear power and coal, hydrogen and its derivatives – ammonia, methanol and so-called e-fuels – will all be called on to help meet the nation’s legislated deadline of reaching net zero emissions by…
