The Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region has successfully moved into the hydrogen economy. Both the H2Rivers and H2Rhein-Neckar projects show how hydrogen, as a sustainable energy source, can be produced, distributed, stored and used at the local level. Thanks to funding support and the commitment of local participants, more than 100 million euros have been effectively invested in the two flagship projects.
In order to continue promoting the establishment of a climate-neutral, profitable and sustainable hydrogen economy, around 400 experts from the industry are gathering in Mannheim today (24 October 2024). Together with Hartmut Höppner, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, and Thekla Walker, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister for the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector, they are taking stock of the results of the two demonstration projects.
Hartmut Höppner, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport: “The hydrogen economy must be regarded and implemented as a value chain. Only in this way will it establish itself throughout the country and in the individual regions. The H2Rivers project we are funding is a real flagship! It encompasses all aspects from the production of green hydrogen, its distribution and refuelling, to its use in public buses and heavy goods vehicles. This project paves the way for other users by highlighting the opportunities and challenges of using hydrogen in transport.” The H2Rivers project received funding in the amount of 20 million euros from the Federal Ministry for the development of the regional value chain as part of the HyLand programme.
The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector also contributed around 16.7 million euros to the sister project H2Rhein-Neckar. With the help of these funds from the so-called Strategy Dialogue for the Automotive Industry in Baden-Württemberg (SDA – Strategiedialog Automobilwirtschaft Baden-Württemberg), the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg are able to replace their entire diesel articulated bus fleets with climate-friendly fuel cell range extender buses. “Pioneering work pays off. The H2Rhein-Neckar project ensures that Baden-Württemberg maintains its technological edge and innovative know-how in all aspects of hydrogen technologies. This is because green hydrogen, which is produced in a climate-neutral manner from renewable electricity, offers a wide range of advantages for Baden-Württemberg as a centre of industry and technology. The task now is to further anchor the investments made in the hydrogen value chain and to advance climate protection,” says Thekla Walker, Minister for the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector of the State of Baden-Württemberg.
The effects of the switch to alternative drives are being evaluated by a scientific research team in the H2Rhein-Neckar project. A total of 40 articulated fuel cell buses are being deployed in Mannheim and Heidelberg. Eight of them will be used in the sister project H2Rivers in Ludwigshafen. And the infrastructure is also being expanded with new e-charging stations and hydrogen filling stations being added by project partners.
The involvement of the many regional partners is strategically decisive for helping hydrogen and fuel cell technology to market maturity in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region in the long term. Stefan Dallinger, District Administrator of the Rhine-Neckar district, Chairman of the Rhine-Neckar Regional Association and Deputy Chairman of Zukunft Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar e.V., emphasises: “The interrelated projects make the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region one of the largest showcases for hydrogen technology in Germany. We will continue to work on this. Networking beyond our own state borders is also essential to building on our successes.”
The results of the pilot projects provide important information on where to set the course for the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. The consortium leaders Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH (H2Rivers) and e-mobil BW GmbH (H2Rhein-Neckar) will use and discuss these findings in their networks to help further advance the next steps in the hydrogen market ramp-up.
Franz Loogen, CEO of e-mobil BW, the state agency for new mobility solutions and automotive of Baden-Württemberg, explains: “New drive technologies are being adopted more and more quickly, including in buses and trucks. The development of the new supply infrastructure for both electricity and hydrogen on site at the user’s premises is a current challenge, also for public transport operators as well as local authorities. This is where the H2Rhein-Neckar project and its accompanying research come in, to find suitable solutions for users.”
