5th International Conference and Trade
Fair on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies in Hamburg from 31 August
to 1 September 2005
In Germany, funding of hydrogen and fuel cell technology at central
government level is provided by five departments – the Ministries of
Economics, Transport, Research, Environment and Agriculture. A survey
on behalf of the H2Expo showed that many experts consider this split
inefficient. This year’s H2Expo, 5th International Conference and Trade
Fair for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies, is to take place from 31
August to 1 September 2005 – it features a change in concept, and this
year its venue is the CCH-Congress Center Hamburg.
By comparison, funding in the USA is centrally managed at Federal
level, basically through three Government Departments – Defense,
Transport and the Environment. The German Laender saw the need to act,
and eight of the sixteen Laender launched initiatives to combine skills
and know-how in research and industrial companies. Following the
examples of California and of the Region of Vancouver, whole clusters
were established on the basis of these seedling projects. This gave
more favourable conditions by regional proximity of joint projects, for
example in the Ruhr Area and in the regions of Frankfurt, Stuttgart and
Munich.
In Hamburg, the Society for Introduction of Hydrogen in the Power
Industry was set up as early as 1989, and was renamed in 1997 as the
Hydrogen Society of Hamburg (Wasserstoff-Gesellschaft Hamburg e.V.)
(www.h2hh.de), which currently has about 30 members. It runs the
W.E.I.T. project, which operates six small commercial vehicles with
hydrogen powered engines. Its participation in the CUTE Project with
three DaimlerChrysler fuel cell buses by the Hamburg public transport
company HHV and the Hamburg Power Company HEW were presented at the
H2Expo in 2003. Participation in this project is to be extended by one
year to September 2006.
A hot-module fuel cell from MTU is to be installed in Hamburg’s new
HafenCity district in 2006 to supply a part of its power and heat
demand. The operator will be HEW, with support from Hamburg’s
Department of Urban Development and Environment. The Hamburg Initiative
for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology was established in early 2005 –
it is run by the Department of Urban Development and Environment to
focus existing potentials, and already has the support of more than 20
members from industry, research and government. The initiative will be
represented at this year’s H2Expo at the Congress Center Hamburg.
The German Fuel Cell Alliance (BZB) was set up at the end of 2004, with
the help of the umbrella organisation German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell
Association (Deutscher Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellen-Verband DWV,
www.dwv-info.de), bringing together more than 20 associations and
initiatives. It includes fuel cell initiatives from Lower Saxony,
Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria,
Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Baden-Württemberg. The BZB is
appealing to the German government not to miss the boat in top level
global development, and to provide rapid political support for German
fuel cell activities. It also highlights the need for German presence
in relevant EU projects.
The Lower Saxony Fuel Cell Initiative (www.brennstoffzelle-nds.de) was
created in April 2004 by the Departments of the Environment and
Economics, with funding of 9.5 million euros for a three-year period.
So far, seven projects have been funded for a total of 2.7 million
euros, with participation by 20 companies and institutions. The focal
areas are PEM fuel cells for vehicles, high-temperature SOFC cells, and
decentral power supplies with fuel cell heating equipment.
A part of the North Rhine-Westphalia Initiative for Future Energies
(www.energieland.nrw.de) is the NRW Competence Network for Fuel Cells
and Hydrogen (www.brennstoffzelle-nrw.de). So far, it has provided
grants of 57 million euros for 55 projects, out of a total volume of
102 million euros. Current highlights are the development of a shuttle
bus, a “cargo-bike”, an IT power supply system, and a hydrogen
cartridge. There are 16 more projects at the planning stage. The
network now has some 300 members. This funding policy has favoured the
facilities of the three North American companies Dynatek, Hydrogenics
and Idatech. Another positive influence is the creation of a hydrogen
pipeline from Castrop via Marl to Köln.
The Baden-Württemberg Fuel Cell Initiative
(www.brennstoffzellen-initiative.de) involves three organisations. The
Fuel Cell ResearchAlliance (FABZ), created by the Department of
Economics in 2000, is currently focused on PEM, DMFC (methanol) and
SOFC technology (high-temperature), and groups the activities of the 15
member institutes. The Fuel Cell Competence and Innovation Centre of
the Stuttgart Region funds and supports some 40 companies and
associations in the industry. The Ulm Fuel Cell Continuing Education
Centre (WBZU) provides support in educational efforts, with 36 members
in industry, craft trades, schools and universities. Another member of
WBZU is the Baden-Württemberg Foundation for Solar Energy and
Hydrogen Research set up in 1988, which focuses on technologies such as
PEM, DMFC, MCFC (molten carbonate). There are plans for restructuring
of activities.
The Bavarian Hydrogen Initiative (www.wiba.de), which was founded by
the Department of Economics in 1996, has so far funded more than 30
projects, with a total of some 35 million euros. The overall volume of
projects is more than 70 million euros. Its core membership comprises
some 30 organisations. Hydrogen supplies in Bavaria are provided
through Linde and companies in the chemicals triangle of Burghausen, to
the East of Munich.
The privately funded Hesse Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Initiative (H2BZ, www.brennstoffzelle-hessen.de)
was created in 2003. It launched the EU-funded Project Zero Regio,
setting up hydrogen supplies for fuel cell powered cars in the
Rhine-Main and Lombardy regions since the end of 2004. The Association
can draw on 30 million cubic metres of low-cost residual hydrogen per
annum at the Industriepark Höchst. It now has 25 members, who are
pursuing plans for their own production of PEM fuel cells in the Stack
Value project.
The Mecklenburg-West Pomerania Hydrogen Technology Initiative
(www.wti-mv.de) was founded in 2002 and now has 18 members. Its
projects include a diving robot, a CRP pressure vessel for hydrogen, an
SOFC power generator for vehicles, and the operation of a fuel cell
bus. The competence network Fuel Cell Future Technology
Rhineland-Palatinate was also set up in 2002, with support from the
Departments of the Environment, Science and Economics. Its ten members
include the Universities of Applied Science of Bingen and Birkenfeld.
Further information on hydrogen issues can be obtained at the H2Expo
2005, 5th International Conference and Trade Fair on Hydrogen and Fuel
Cell Technologies, in the framework of the scientific conference “Fuel
Cell Systems for Transportation: Maritime, Aerospace and General
Transportation”. Aspects of commercialisation will be addressed by the
conference “Introducing Hydrogen Energy Technologies in a Global
Market”. The H2Expo 2005 will be held at the CCH-Congress Center
Hamburg from 31 August to 1 September, opening daily from 9am to 5pm. |
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