Industry in particular needs “green” hydrogen!

State parliament delegation learns about h2-netzwerk-ruhr

Accompanied by State Parliament Vice President Carina Gödecke, State Parliament members Michael Hübner and Carsten Löcker visited h2-netzwerk-ruhr. The head of the Recklinghausen Employment Agency, Frank Benölken, took part in the meeting to learn about the job potential of this technology and explore support options from the Employment Agency.

“Normally, members of the State Parliament Presidium regularly visit schools in the state, but this is currently not possible due to Corona,” explained Carina Gödecke, who would actually have been in Gladbeck this morning. Due to the pandemic, she had a gap in her schedule. “I used that to bring her to Herten,” said Michael Hübner with a smile, following up on his visit from February 21, 2020 . “The network’s activities have convinced me, and I want to spread the topic more widely,” said Hübner.

The parliamentarians first had the network’s work explained to them by Volker Lindner, Chairman of h2-netzwerk-ruhr e.V. Lindner was able to report that the number of network members has risen by over 30% within a year to 47 members. They consist of municipalities, economic development agencies, companies, and research institutions. The association also has two individual memberships. “The sharp increase in membership shows the enormous interest in the topic of ‘hydrogen’ and the economic potential associated with it,” Volker Lindner is convinced.

In addition to network work, the association is also involved in educational work and, above all, in lobbying for hydrogen. And according to Lindner’s words, there is still much to be done.

In the discussion with Carina Gödecke, it became clear that it is less about the use of fuel cells in passenger cars and primarily about industrial applications in the steel industry, in refineries, and in production processes that still use natural gas to generate process heat today. To make the use of hydrogen possible in these areas, several requirements must be met, explained Volker Lindner: “We need large quantities of renewable energy to produce hydrogen using electrolyzers. For this, the expansion of wind power is essential. And for the economically viable production of hydrogen, the regulatory framework must be changed. This is where federal policy is needed.” Lindner presented the paper “Climate Protection with Hydrogen and Renewable Energies,” in which the network has compiled its demands for national policy. The State Parliament Vice President expressed her willingness to bring the suggestions into parliamentary work and, together with Michael Hübner, to use their networks at the level of federal policy. And Michael Hübner stated: “We will not let up on this issue.”

Cover photo: A small state parliament delegation and the managing director of the Federal Employment Agency Recklinghausen paid a visit to h2-netzwerk-ruhr in Herten. Standing in front of the hydrogen tank (from left to right): Carina Gödecke (Vice President of the NRW State Parliament), Frank Benölken (Federal Agency), Carsten Löcker (Member of State Parliament), Volker Lindner (Chairman of h2-netzwerk-ruhr), and Michael Hübner (Member of State Parliament).