First working meeing of organisation set up by WAB and H2BX attracts 30 people

Germany's Hydrogen Working Group held a working meeting for the first time this week and signed a cooperation agreement aimed at boosting wind power's role in the production of hydrogen.

“To achieve an emission-free future, further expansion of wind power is essential. Hydrogen production from wind power will play an elementary role, especially in the context of sector coupling,” said the group in a joint statement released following the meeting in Bremen yesterday.

The group is made up of wind association WAB and hydrogen technology group H2BX, which together represent business in the country’s north-west region.

WAB managing director Heike Winkler (pictured, left) said the meeting had established a “comprehensive” programme of ongoing works, which will cover areas including profitability, hydrogen production methods using offshore and onshore wind energy and practical research proposals.

She said the group wants to establish a "results-oriented exchange platform in the context of wind power”.

H2BX chairman Claas Schott (pictured, right), commented on the well-attended meeting, which attracted 30 participants from the wind and hydrogen sectors across the region.

He said: “willingness to cooperate on a supra-regional level” was essential to “tap the potential” of northern Germany.

“Future cooperation must not fail because of national borders or individual interests,” he said.

Annette Schimmel, project manager for the Green Economy project at BIS Bremerhaven said the Bremerhaven Economic Development Agency is “systematically developing the topic of hydrogen” to secure wind energy jobs in the region.

“The further development and expansion of the wind energy value chain can create new jobs at the location, which have been lost due to market conditions due to the reduction of the expansion targets for wind energy at sea.

“We are confident that we will succeed in this, especially thanks to the scientific competence on site with Fraunhofer IWES and the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences."

The next meeting date for the Hydrogen Working Group will be announced soon, said WAB.