Stakeholders’ perspectives on the scale-up of hydrogen – acatech and DECHEMA publish results of a stakeholder dialogue held as part of the H2-Compass project

Berlin, 02 May 2023

The synthesis paper, “Results of the Stakeholder Dialogue”, was published today and shows that various interest groups view a legal framework to be necessary for the scale-up of the hydrogen economy in Germany. This legal framework would give market players certainty when it comes to planning and investment. The 26-page paper sums up an analysis of the key results of the year-long dialogue process, which involved representatives from industry, science, civil society organisations and public administration. “Our stakeholder dialogue shows clearly that fundamental questions about the market ramp up remain unanswered,” concluded Jasper Eitze, co-project leader for acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering. “For example, there is intense debate among stakeholders about whether the potential hydrogen applications for which direct electrification is not possible, such as in the steel sector, should be prioritised during the market ramp-up – perhaps even to the exclusion of all other uses.” Jens Artz, project leader for DECHEMA, Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie, said, “Experts from industry, science, civil society organisations and public administration are aware of how important the acceptance of hydrogen technologies is for the efficient scale-up of the market.”

Between autumn 2021 and autumn 2022 acatech and DECHEMA hosted various dialogue activities – from a survey to workshops to a conference with World Cafés – to get different interest groups’ perspectives on the hydrogen ramp-up in Germany, to facilitate interaction between stakeholders and – where possible – to work towards a shared vision of a future hydrogen economy. Participants in the BMBF’s hydrogen flagship projects as well as representatives of relevant research and development projects also took part in the dialogue. The results of completed and ongoing stakeholder surveys conducted by other parties were also incorporated into the paper.

The publication describes key points from discussions on four main topics in the stakeholder dialogue:

• Import and sustainability criteria: The stakeholders agreed that hydrogen imports will be necessary. There was also consensus on specific environmental and participatory requirements for hydrogen production in exporting countries. However, there was no consensus on how and on what terms hydrogen could and should be imported from outside the EU.
• Parameters for scaling up the German market: Stakeholders agreed that the ramp-up is contingent on costs falling both on the supply and the demand side.
• Prioritisation of hydrogen applications: Stakeholders held quite different views on whether the end uses of publicly funded hydrogen should be determined solely by market forces or be subject to restrictions. Debate about the duration, instruments, criteria and objectives of such restrictions was correspondingly contentious.
• Public perception and federal government management of stakeholder expectations: Most stakeholders saw acceptance of hydrogen technologies as essential for the ramp-up. They therefore provided detailed recommendations as to the steps the federal government should take on the matter of public relations.

Download the synthesis paper

The synthesis paper, “H2-Compass: Results of the Stakeholder Dialogue”, is available for download: Publication “ Results of the Stakeholder Dialogue” (in German)