Hydrogen – what role will it play in achieving Germany’s climate goals?

online lecture by Kurt Wagemann on 17.06.2025, 3 p.m.

Moderation: Eva E. Wille

In the media, in politics, but also in science, there are two schools of thought:

 

• Hydrogen will be used on a large scale in a wide variety of applications to eliminate the need for fossil fuels – hydrogen as an enabler of defossilization.
• In the end, only niche applications remain for hydrogen, as direct electrification is predominantly used for efficiency reasons – the “all electric world”.

The reality of the year 2045 will most likely not be described by either of these two scenarios.

The lecture will attempt to provide a neutral presentation: First, various methods for climate-neutral hydrogen production will be presented. It will then address its use in the transport, space heating, steel, and chemical sectors. Finally, various aspects of ramping up a hydrogen economy will be discussed. These include location issues, the role of the electricity system, and the transport and distribution of hydrogen.