Hydrogen

The great hope of the energy transition

A promising bearer of energy: hydrogen. How safe is the technology? When does it make sense to use it? What effect does it have on energy costs? This Working Group is addressing the question of how hydrogen can be optimally included in the Northern German energy system. It assesses the effects on economy, ecology and society. With position papers from the relevant disciplines and public Academy Lectures, the Working Group is sharing insights into complex interconnected issues.

Goals of the Working Group Hydrogen for the Northern German Energy System – diversity of challenges and interdisciplinary assessment

Construction of a digital dossier on the potential role of hydrogen in the Northern German energy system – scientifically well-founded and interactive for everyone interested

Project Description

In recent years around the world one particular energy source is being rediscovered – hydrogen. It can be deployed flexibly and stores well. The Working Group aims to pursue the question of the optimal way to include hydrogen in the existing energy system. This is an interdisciplinary and in part also transdisciplinary question, above all in the need for a comprehensive assessment of facets that are necessarily linked and their interdependences.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Detlef Schulz

Hydrogen is for some a great hope, but for others a potential danger. This discussion is taking place among a broad public. It is our task to analyse the opportunities and risks and to provide objective information and inspiring ideas in this controversial debate and to intervene in the discussion in such a way that the individual aspects can really be presented and discussed in full. I therefore regard our Working Group as a trustworthy and responsible driver of social developments.
Hydrogen is predestined to link many processes in the energy transition. One can produce hydrogen sustainably with excess electricity from wind and photovoltaic installations and thus one has an energy source that can be used for mobility.

Perspectives and Review

Construction of a digital topic portal on the possible role of hydrogen for the Northern German energy system – scientifically well-founded and interactive for everyone interested
Wintersemester 2020/21: Akademievorlesungsreihe "Wasserstoff im Energiesystem - Chancen und Risiken"
22 October 2020:
Lecture by Peter Lindlahr: "Der Weg zu einer sich selbst tragenden Wasserstoff-Wirtschaft in Hamburg und Norddeutschland" (“The route to a self-sustaining hydrogen industry in Hamburg and Northern Germany”, in German)
Lecture by Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif: "Wasserstoff und Klima" (“Hydrogen and Climate”, in German)

12 November 2020:
Lecture by Prof. Dr. Michael Fröba: "Wasserstoff - wo kommt er her und wie kann man ihn speichern?" (“Hydrogen – where does it come from and how can we store it?”, in German)
Lecture by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Klassen: "Materialien für die Wasserstofftechnologie. Nachhaltige Gewinnung und effiziente Speicherung"
Gesprächsrunde (“Materials for hydrogen technology. Sustainable acquisition and efficient storage”, panel discussion, in German)

26 November 2020:
Lecture by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Detlef Schulz: "Steuerbare Brennstoff- und Elektrolysezellen für die Sektorenkopplung" (“Controllable fuel and electrolysis cells for sector coupling”, in German)
Lecture by Dr. Andreas Truckenbrodt: "Emission impossible - Brennstoffzellen und ihre Anwendungen" (“Emission impossible – fuel cells and their applications”, in German)
20 November 2019, Baseler Hof, Hamburg: Workshop "Wasserstoff im Energiesystem – Chancen und Risiken im Kontext der Energiewende" (“Hydrogen in the Energy System – Opportunities and Risks in the context of the energy transition”, in German)

Prof. Dr. Michael Fröba

It will not be simple. Our Working Group sees itself as a pioneer for thinking through such complex challenges and is a perfect match for the Northern German region, because here we have a unique situation: we have the geographically large states as producers, the usage in energy sinks like Hamburg and the transport routes to reach them. It is all closely connected and there is a great deal to weigh up and assess. We evaluate the different demands and take them into account in connection with each other.
My wish is that at the end we will have developed a well known blueprint – for other states that likewise want to integrate hydrogen into their energy systems and which are facing complex challenges and are appealing for acceptance in their societies in an open debate.

Members of the Working Group

Position	Name	Discipline
Deputy Spokesperson	Prof. Dr. Michael Fröba	Solid-state Chemistry / Materials for Energy Storage
	Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Hartmut Graßl	Meteorology
	Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz Joos	Energy Technology
	Prof. Dr. Stephan Kabelac	Thermodynamics
	Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Kaltschmitt	Environmental Technology and Energy Economics
	Prof. Dr. Prof. E.h. Dr. h. c. Walter Kaminsky	Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry
	Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif	Climate Physics
	Dr. Niels Linnemann	Philosophy of Physics
	Prof. Dr. Angelika Redder	Germanic Linguistics and General Linguistics
	Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wilfried Roetzel	Thermodynamics
	Prof. Dr. Jürgen Schmitt	Astronomy
Spokesperson	Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Detlef Schulz	Electrical Energy Systems
	Prof. Dr. Dana-Sophia Valentiner	Rechtswissenschaften