NOW GmbH and GIHK Service to promote hydrogen and fuel cell technology
Hydrogen applications are gaining tractions in mobility, so the companies are also preparing to transition towards clean energy. The efforts to make hydrogen and fuel cell technology a key part of future mobility have been rising across the world in general, and Germany particularly.
The public-private partnership is vital for hydrogen to be widely accepted. In Germany, DIHK Service GmbH, a subsidiary of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, will work in close partnership with the National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) GmbH to support the local and international networks for the promotion of fuel cell knowledge and technology. It will particularly guide German companies to explore the market potential to benefit from the early movers’ advantage.
Both companies will work in the BMU framework. In 2016, the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) launched the Exportinitiative Umwelttechnologien (Export Initiative Environmental Technologies) to promote environmental technologies to support sustainable development and better living conditions around the world. All in all, the cooperation will likely to underpin the German government efforts to support the hydrogen economy.
“We are currently developing a new stream within the “Export Initiative Environmental Technologies” of the German Ministry for the Environment that is dedicated to decentralised use of fuel cell and hydrogen technology.” Kira Weinmann, the Communications and Knowledge Manager at NOW GmbH told H2 bulletin.
“The focus here is on advancing the SDGs. So, we are looking to fund various projects from telecoms masts to island electrification to demonstrate fuel cell/hydrogen technology. The other aim is to encourage German technology producers (focus here is “Mittelstand”) to seek opportunities abroad and provide them with market information, which we aim to achieve through involving the network of the German AHKs (Chambers of Commerce).” she further added.
NOW GmbH will officially launch the initiative on 25th February through an online event. The event will be addressed by BMU State Secretary Pronold and NOW CEO von Knobelsdorff, discussing market opportunities and environmental benefits of FC/H2 in the off-grid context.
In Germany, there are currently 330,780 battery-electric passenger cars, 302,644 plug-in hybrid and 1,016 fuel cell passenger vehicles, according to KBA. Fuel cell passenger car registration was down in Q4: 2020 by 26.2% on a quarter-on-quarter basis, reached 90 units.
