Hydrogen for everyone! Regions are calling for funding for green future

The Federation of Hydrogen Regions (BDWR) recently raised demands on the state funding of the hydrogen economy in rural regions. This initiative is aimed in particular at small and medium -sized companies (SMEs) and the municipal traffic sector, which require equivalent access to hydrogen, as is previously reserved for industrial centers, such as Weser-Kurier reported.

The BDWR comprises a total of 44 cities, municipalities and counties, including the district of Osterholz and ten counties from the district of Lüneburg. As part of a proposal for regional funding architecture, generation, distribution and use of hydrogen should be restructured. The aim is to treat all regions equally and to reach the federal goal of ten gigawatts of electrolysis capacity by 2030. The district administrator of Osterholz and spokesman for BDWR, Bernd Lütjen, emphasizes the importance of the regional hydrogen economy for the energy transition and economic future.

Development of a concept for the hydrogen economy

circles and municipalities have developed the "H 2-Regional" concept, which offers planning security and guarantees the promotion of investment costs. An analysis of the heat requirement in the middle class is also sought. In addition, it is pointed out to connect regional clusters to remote network pipelines. Lütjen also calls for a regulatory basis for integrating existing distribution networks into the national hydrogen infrastructure.

In a comprehensive context of the hydrogen strategy in Germany, it can be seen that so far only 0.63 gigawatt hydrogen electrolysis is installed - a value that remains far behind the desired target of 10 gigawatts by 2030. So far, planned projects have mostly focused on the self -consumption of large industries, for example in steel production. Without a suitable funding architecture, the integration of hydrogen in SMEs and in the traffic sector are at risk, such as H2NON

The BDWR proposes a special funding architecture for regional hydrogen economies in its "H2REGIONAL" concept. This position paper has already been to Federal Minister Dr. Volker Wissing handed over. Bernd Lütjen warned of considerable dangers to hydrogen investment projects in the traffic sector if no clear funding perspectives are created. The concept addresses both investment costs (Capex) and operating costs-dominated areas (Opex) and aims to enable regional economic actors to invest in the transformation and to strengthen regional added value.

The Federal Government has recognized that the purchase of fuel cell buses and utility vehicles will be funded in the traffic sector in the traffic sector by 2030. There are legal requirements to integrate around 950 annually by 2025 and from 2026 up to 1,350 emission -free buses in local public transport. SMEs, which make up 52 % of employees and 33 % of sales in Germany, are facing considerable challenges when planning the hydrogen economy, which underlines the need for solid support architecture.