Scotland supports green hydrogen revolution in Germany

The ‘Scot2Ger’ research project, launched last November, examined the German demand for zero-emission hydrogen and how Scottish producers of green hydrogen might meet it.

ScottishPower and Wood explored the technical feasibility of producing green hydrogen in Scotland. DS Consulting investigated the communication strategy and the Foreign Direct Investment & Trade potential primarily. KPMG AG Germany focused on the transport from Scotland to and within Germany and the German market demand.

The findings highlighted the economic potential around faster growth in demand than initially expected, which falls in line with Scotland’s ambitions to scale up production.

The study for analysing the Scottish production and export potential was led by a team of Scottish and German companies and funded by ScottishPower, Wood, Scottish Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise and also supported by the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

On the other side, David Scrimgeour and KPMG AG Germany supported Scottish Enterprise in assessing the German market potential.

Analysis of the initial demand from three identified German use cases was found to be around 33 tonnes per day by early 2025, rising to 58 tonnes a day by 2027, before reaching 200 tonnes by 2030. Liquid hydrogen or ammonia was found likely to be preferred, particularly given Germany’s increased urgency to move away from fossil fuels given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The study also predicted growing demand and production as green hydrogen costs continue to fall, technologies advance in efficiency, and the uses of hydrogen increase across the global economy in the period from 2030-2050.

It also examined the logistical challenges in transporting hydrogen from Scottish ports, the landing of the clean fuel in major European ports and the distribution to end customers across Germany.

The work included technical and economic analyses of moving hydrogen as a compressed gas as well as in liquid forms such as ammonia, liquid hydrogen and liquid organic carriers (LOHC).

It identified Aberdeen, Cromarty and Forth and Clyde as potential early export locations, with preferred import ports at Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony, as well as Rotterdam in the Netherlands Europe’s largest seaport.

The report builds on an economic analysis from Scottish Enterprise last year around the potential of green hydrogen technology, infrastructure and assets to transform Scotland’s energy sector and follows the publication of green hydrogen studies outlining the requirements for sites in Scotland.

The details and outcomes of the studies will now form a basis of further work packages seeking to progress the technological innovations in logistics, as well as commercial opportunities to accelerate investments, supply chain growth and job creation in both Scotland and Germany.