Brief Description: International trade of green hydrogen and power-to-x products is already a widely debated topic and will gain importance in the roll-out of projects in the next years and decades. Next to existing regulation regarding electricity and GHG reduction, which criteria are relevant in hydrogen production?

 

In this interactive workshop, we will explore the meaning and current status of sustainability criteria, drawing on both expert insights and initial findings from an international survey in the course of the P2X Kopernikus Project (https://www.kopernikus-projekte.de/en/projects/p2x, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).

 

Participants will have the opportunity to learn about current regulatory initiatives, share their perspectives on the topic and discuss opportunities and challenges. The session aims to foster academic exchange and provide a structured context for assessing sustainability in the PtX value chain. 

Speaker: Ulrike Hinz and is a Senior Policy Advisor Climate and Energy at WWF Germany. Her research focus is on hydrogen regulation and specifically production criteria for PtX. She gained 10 years of experience in the energy sector, prior to WWF, she worked at the Transmission System Operator 50Hertz, a scale up in electro mobiliy (ubitricity), and at Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS. Ulrike holds an MBA in Energy Management from the Technical University Berlin and is a DAAD alumna.

The workshop will be held digitally via MS Teams, with a presentation of about 30 minutes plus about 15 minutes of questions and discussion. To participate you have to register here: Registration for the Networking – Workshop: “Sustainability Criteria and their relevance to international trade of PtX / Hydrogen.”

For any questions, suggestions or recommendations regarding this networking workshop, please do not hesitate to contact Laura Méndez Prencke prencke at daad.de

Brief Description: Texas currently produces about one third of all hydrogen produced in the US and has extensive existing hydrogen infrastructure in place. Additionally, the state has significant hydrogen production resources, including low-cost renewables and natural gas, and a workforce and industry with relevant expertise. One of the US's seven regional clean hydrogen hubs was selected to be in the Gulf Coast region of the state. These factors, coupled with other US federal policies supporting clean hydrogen, make Texas an attractive location for developing a hydrogen economy in the United States. This presentation will explore the research and development of hydrogen in Texas with a particular focus on infrastructure development and modeling at the University of Texas at Austin. 

Speaker: Dr. Emily Beagle is a research associate in the Webber Energy Group at The University of Texas at Austin. She currently works on energy policy and pathways to decarbonization of the global energy system with a particular focus on the deployment and use of hydrogen to reduce emissions in the hardest to abate sectors. She is interested in using technical and engineering analysis to inform energy policy development.

The workshop will be held digitally via MS Teams, with a presentation of about 30 minutes plus about 15 minutes of questions and discussion. To participate you have to register here: Registration for the Networking – Workshop: “Hydrogen Research and Development in Texas, U.S.”

For any questions, suggestions or recommendations regarding this networking workshop, please do not hesitate to contact Laura Méndez Prencke prencke at daad.de

About the networking-workshop: The presentation will aim to shed light on the strategic cornerstones of Germany's hydrogen import strategy and present individual measures in detail. The import strategy outlines a framework to meet Germany's predicted demand for hydrogen and its derivatives, which the government estimates will reach 95 to 130 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2030. About 50 to 70 percent of this demand will need to be covered by imports, according to estimates by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), making Germany one of the world's largest hydrogen importers in the future. It also includes plans to expand Germany's import pipelines and shipping infrastructure and to closely cooperate with partner countries on hydrogen. Additional information: Deutsche Energie-Agentur (dena) | European Hydrogen Supply Corridors.

The current market ramp-up for green hydrogen and its derivatives still poses many challenges for so-called first-movers who are considering the production and use of green hydrogen. To achieve their goals, the German government is therefore relying on a variety of supply- and demand-side policy measures to support companies in their ambitions to establish value chains for green hydrogen. Examples include H2Global and the climate protection contracts. Bilateral and multilateral dialogue with international partners is also an important dimension of Germany's hydrogen policy, in the context of bilateral climate and energy partnerships and regional import corridors with partners within the EU.

Speaker: The presentation will be given by Mr. Manuel Löw, a hydrogen expert at the German Energy Agency (dena) responsible for the South-East European Import Corridor and the Hydrogen Task Force within the German-Turkish Energy Partnership on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. Manuel Löw previously worked as a consultant at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna and Montevideo, where he focused on sustainability aspects of international trade dynamics of green hydrogen. He is a political economist with degrees from the University of Glasgow and the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and also is a DAAD alumnus.

The workshop will be held digitally via MS Teams, with a presentation of about 30 minutes plus about 15 minutes of questions and discussion. To participate you have to register here: Registration for the Networking – Workshop: “The German Hydrogen Import Strategy: Strategic Guidelines and Relevant Policy Instruments” until 11.03.2025 at 12:00 noon, and the link to attend the meeting will be send a day before the event. 

For any questions, suggestions or recommendations regarding this networking workshop, please do not hesitate to contact Laura Méndez Prencke prencke at daad.de

On Tuesday, 18 February 2025 (12.00-13.00 local Berlin time), Mr. Iaroslav Kryl, CEO of Hydrogen Ukraine LLC (H2U), will present two hydrogen projects in Ukraine, with a focus on integrating renewable energy sources and enabling Ukraine’s participation in the European hydrogen corridors.

•    The H2U'S Renewable Hydrogen Project in Reni, -Odesa Region contemplates the construction of a green hydrogen production plant, with an electrolyser capacity in the first phase of 100 MW and plans to increase to 3 GW in the future. The main objective is to use renewable electricity and green hydrogen, with possible future export of hydrogen to EU countries.
•    The H2U Hydrogen Valley - Zakarpattia intends to construct a green hydrogen production plant with a capacity of 100 MW, potentially expanding to 1500 MW, in combination to solar and wind energy production. This ambitious endeavor aims for seamless integration into Ukraine's Unified Energy System, incorporating new substations and power lines. The export of hydrogen is intended to runs via a pipeline to a metallurgical plant in Slovakia.

Headquartered in Kiev, Hydrogen Ukraine LLC (H2U) is a leading company pioneering hydrogen-based renewable energy solutions in Ukraine. H2U’s mission spans large-scale hydrogen production, establishing an end-to-end supply chain, and decentralizing the country's energy portfolio.

The workshop will be held digitally via MS Teams, with a presentation of about 30 minutes plus about 30 minutes of questions and discussion. You will receive the log in link by registering here: Registration for the Networking Workshop:“Renewable Power-to-Hydrogen Production. Zakarpattia and Odesa Regions” in Ukraine

For any questions, suggestions or recommendations regarding this networking workshop, please do not hesitate to contact Laura Méndez Prencke prencke at daad.de

In its effort to reduce 46% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the Government of Japan has launched the “Green Technologies of Excellence (GteX)” Program, which is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and operated by Japan Science and Technology (JST). The aim of the programme is to intensively support academia and accelerate efforts in the field of next-generation battery, hydrogen and fuel cells technology, and biomanufacturing, as a first instance. This is a 10-year programme with an initial investment of 300 million euros for the first 5 years (FY2023 - FY2027), and the project connects top researchers from universities and research institutes across Japan to conduct comprehensive and cross-organisational programmes around the implementation of low-carbon technologies. In addition, the programme is also interested in promoting international cooperation in technology development, and education/training of human talent.

To this end, I would like to invite you to a networking workshop, held virtually via MSTeams, on 21 January 2025 at 9:00 (UTC+1:00, Berlin local time), in which Prof. Kohei UOSAKI, the Program Director of the GteX programme, and Prof. Hiroyuki UCHIDA, the Program Officer of the hydrogen area of the programme, will present the GteX programme and its project component, the GteX-hydrogen, which deals with water electrolysis, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage, with the participation of around 65 researchers.

I hope I have sparked your interest in participating in this networking workshop that will give you the opportunity to identify options for collaboration with Japanese scientists, who would also like to visit Germany and learn first-hand about the technological and scientific developments taking place in this country.

If you would like to participate in this networking workshop, please register here: Registration for the Networking Workshop – Presentation of the “Green Technologies of Excellence (GteX)” Program by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).

Webinar: The Role of Hydrogen in Energy Systems.

Presenter: Elisabeth Zeyen - Department of Digital Transformation in Energy Systems (ENSYS), TU Berlin.

Date: November 14th 2024 at 12:00 noon,

Invitation to a webinar presented by Elisabeth Zeyen, research assistant at the Department of Digital Transformation in Energy Systems (ENSYS) - TU Berlin, on modelling energy systems and the current research on the role of hydrogen in the energy system (cost development, the role of hydrogen networks, imports of hydrogen and other hydrogen and energy carriers, the role of certification standards for green hydrogen, alternatives to hydrogen).

The Department of Digital Transformation in Energy Systems (ENSYS): “Our research at the Department leverages cutting-edge research from a variety of disciplines to understand the most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the energy system. This involves building models of the energy system and optimising the investment and operation of the necessary infrastructure. Maintaining a sufficient level of detail and interdependence in the models is crucial to avoid misallocation of investment and poor policy advice, but it is also extremely challenging computationally. To address this challenge, we are developing new algorithms and methodologies that allow us to capture this detail in a manageable way and therefore provide the best possible policy guidance for the transition to a sustainable energy future. We are also leading the development of the open source energy modelling framework and ecosystem Python for Power System Analysis (PyPSA) (www.pypsa.org)“.

For information contact: Laura Mendez Prencke – Lead coordinator DAAD GH2 Working Groups – prencke at daad.de

This year, for the second time, a DAAD-GH2 Research Tour took place from 15 to 21 September and, like last year, it was fascinating. This time we visited institutions in eastern Germany and had the opportunity to see first-hand some of the innovative projects and ground-breaking advances that will shape the future of the green hydrogen economy.

The 21 PhD students and postdocs who participated in the DAAD GH2 Research Tour 2024 will present their research projects in two virtual sessions. We would therefore like to invite you to participate and learn what these researchers, who come from different countries and continents, are currently working on.

The sessions will be attended by representatives of the host institutions of the research trip and members of the DAAD GH2 working groups. This is a good opportunity to find out what the working group participants are currently researching, to network and perhaps find common interests.

Register at: https://www.daad.de/surveys/438746?lang=en

Name	Last Name	Presentation Titel / Key Words	Institution
Chinkit	Tyagi	Transition Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Hydrogen production and Organic Waste Valorization.	Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes (ISCR - UMR CNRS 6226), University of Rennes. France.
Mert	Temiz	Community Energy Systems with Hydrogen	Ontario Tech. University. Canada.
Louise	Botha	Insight into the reactivity of Pt-TM alloys towards the H2/O2 recombination reaction using Density Functional Theory.	Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Infrastructure.
Melisa	Gomez	Ni-based materials for HER, and bubble resistances measurements on OER in KOH solutions.	CONICET at CREAS - Argentina.
Juan Pedro	Perez Trujillo	Distribution of Relaxation Times on Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells.	KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Sweden.
Won Young	Choi	Developing methods to establish the relationship between slurry characteristics, electrode microstructure, and electrode performance for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) applications.	Korea Institute of Energy Research, Hanyang University. Republic of Korea.
Fabio	Bozzolo Lueckel	Hydrogen deployment in Ireland: modelling the effects of policy on the energy system.	University of Galway, Ireland. Energy Innovation Analyst at ESB, Ireland.
Emily	Beagle	Environmental and Economic Considerations for Developing the Hydrogen Economy: Case Study of Texas.	University of Texas at Austin. USA.
Artem	Pushkarev	In situ characterization of the PEM water electrolyzer cell.	HySA Infrastructure CoC, North-West University, South Africa.
Irina	Pushkareva	The development of PEM water electrolysis cell components.	HySA Infrastructure CoC., Faculty of Engineering, North-West University. South Africa.
Wooseok	Cheon	Metal-organic frameworks for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction and water electrolysis.	Seoul National University. South Korea.

First Name	Last Name	Presentation	Institution
Agata	Baran	Solid state hydrogen storage – mechanochemistry.	Military University of Technology, Department of New Technologies and Chemistry, Warsaw, Poland.
Gabriele	Loreti	Integration of reversible high temperature fuel cell technology to improve the efficiency of hybrid energy storage with negative carbon emissions.	ENEA - Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy And Sustainable Economic Development. Italy.
Davide	Trapani	Cost-optimal design of power-to-hydrogen systems for the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial processes.	Politecnico di Torino and Environment Park S.p.A. Italy.
Tereza	Bautkinová	Increasing energy efficiency of PEM water electrolysis through component design.	University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague. Czech Republic.
Ziba	Rajan	Oxide-Supported Iridium-Based Catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction.	University of Cape Town. South Africa.
Nicolas	Campion	Power-to-X and alternative fuels for the maritime industry.	Technical University of Denmark.
Maxwell	Woody	Green hydrogen pathways, energy efficiencies, and intensities for ground, air, and marine transportation.	University of Michigan. USA.
Abdul	Kodir	Additives for Highly Durable Fuel Cells Electrolyte Membranes.	Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER). Republic of Korea.
Javier	Zamudio Garcia	to be defined.	Technical University of Denmark.
Elisabeth	Andreae	to be defined.	Technical University of Denmark.

In the framework of the working groups of the DAAD ERA Fellowship – Green Hydrogen programme, the fellows of the programme have organized two sessions to present their research, projects, and the topics they are currently investigating.

 

This is a special occasion to meet young professionals working on green hydrogen issues along the value chain, to find common topics of interest, and perhaps identify opportunities for cooperation in Germany and abroad. 

 

We cordially invite you to participate in one or both virtual sessions to get to know the work that these early-career researchers are doing.

If you would like to participate, please send an E-Mail to Laura Mendez Prencke (prencke at daad.de). We will send you the link to the virtual sessions.    

First Name	Last Name	Current institution and position	Topic
Matteo	Pugliesi	PhD student, the grant half-paid by an italian Industry Erredue in the electrolyzers market. I'm currently working in the Institute of Organometallic compounds, the Italian National Research Council (ICCOM-CNR)	Exploring New Electrocatalysts for PEM and AEM Water Electrolysis: Enhancing Efficiency without Precious Metals. Synthesized IrRuWOx for PEM OER with improved activity/stability. Developed PGM-free Co-Cu, Co-Mo catalysts for AEM. Investigating Single Atom Catalysts here in (BAM) Berlin.
Florian	Konert	Research Assistant - PhD student - Doktorand at Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)	The combination of the results from mechanical tests using hollow specimens and nondestructive imaging techniques (micro-CT) has shown unambiguously how the exposure to hydrogen under realistic service pressure influences the mechanical properties of the material and the appearance of failure.
Leonardo	Giannini	Ph.D. Candidate, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)	"Embrittlement, degradation, and loss prevention of hydrogen pipelines" is my latest publication: it reviews the detrimental effect of hydrogen on pipeline steels to address safety concerns and preventive actions, specifically focusing on risk-based inspection planning.
Alice	Schiaroli	PhD student at the University of Bologna in the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering and PhD student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.	My research project is aimed at analysing the performance of cryogenic tanks designed to store and transport liquid hydrogen. The focus of my research is the investigation of the tank behavior in external fire conditions (i.e., then the tank is engulfed, fully or partially, in an external fire).
Tomáš	Hrbek	PhD student, researcher, and user support at Charles University in Prague. Focusing on materials for green hydrogen production prepared by magnetron sputtering and their operando investigations (XPS, WAXS, AFM, etc.)	Operando investigations are crucial for understanding various catalytical processes. We present a newly designed cell for operando X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy water electrolysis. The cell can be used to study other catalysts for low-temperature water electrolyzers further.
Mohamed	EL idrissi	PhD at Ruhr-Universität Bochum	Subject : Optimizing Synthesis and Characterization of CuFeO2 for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Alina Madalina	Darabut	PhD student Nanomaterials Group, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague.	Fabrication of polymer composites bipolar plates, and the synthesis of graphite-based fillers. Characterization includes analysis of the polymer composites' electrical and thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, and gas permeability.
Lorenz Martin	Baumgartner	Ionysis GmbH, Electrolysis Testing Engineer	Water electrolysis with PFAS-free catalyst-coated membranes

First Name	Last Name	Current Institution and Position	Topic
Mouna	Yahya	Postdoctoral researcher at the Technical University of Hamburg	My research area is based on biohydrogen production from organic wastes by microbial electrolysis cell.
Angelica	Liponi	University of Pisa Post-doc research fellow	My research focuses on the coupling of low-temperature electrolysis (alkaline and PEM) with renewable energies (in particular, PV and wind) both at plant level and country level. Currently I'm working also on hydrogen liquefaction.
Sophia	Raaymann	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Visiting PHD Student	In my research, I am investigating how the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels can be advanced through risk-sharing collaboration models between SAF producers and buyers. To design the collaboration models, I am taking a Game Theoretic approach.
Suleyman Aykut	Korkmaz	Unıversıty of Southampton PostDoc Researcher	Presenting a comprehensive exploration of hydrogen integration in maritime, including detailed analysis of green hydrogen production, energy system modelling, optimization techniques, and strategic approaches for achieving zero-carbon short-sea shipping using future marine fuels.
Júlia	Machado	University of Galway - PhD candidate ( final year)	Hydrogen and Solar Fuels Innovation: Roadmapping challenges and opportunities
Yaolin	Wang	Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Liverpool	I have been working for years on interdisciplinary research about plasma chemistry and engineering processes for sustainable energy and environmental applications, mainly focusing on plasma catalysis for hydrogen utilisation to produce green e-fuels (e.g., ammonia, methanol).
Meenakshi Seshadhri	Garapati	Institute of Thermomechanics of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Postdoctoral researcher	Fabrication and investigation of catalyst layers for proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Elan	Mistry	Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. PhD researcher in photoelectrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia.	Ammonia has been proposed to be employed as a carbon-free hydrogen storage and fuel molecule. My research thus focuses on photoelectrochemical synthesis of ammonia from nitrates, harnessing sunlight to drive chemical reactions. This reduces the energetic input needed to initiate the reaction.
Fatih	Sorgulu	Faculty Member (Assistant Professor) at Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Türkiye	I would like to present my experimental and modeling studies on green hydrogen production and blending with natural gas through integrated systems.
Fatima	EL Amin	PhD Student	My participation will consist of presenting my work. Since I am working on the synthesis of photocatalytic materials for hydrogen production, I will initially provide an overview of the subject in its general context. Then, I will delve into the specifics of my research, including the systems I am w
Maximilian	Rischer	KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Position as a guest researcher in preparation of a prospective PhD candidate (starting in autumn 2024, institution yet to be determined)	I research on the dynamics of large-scale capital flows from the global North into infrastructural development of the global South, in this the case from Germany and EU to produce GH2 in Namibia. I seek to explore how environmental and social issues may not be effectively solved but be exacerbated.
Leon	Schumm	Research Assistant at OTH Regensburg University of Applied Sciences and PhD candidate at TU Berlin	The talk presents the impact of hydrogen regulation on hydrogen exporters and their energy transitions. By applying a sector-coupled energy model with high spatial and temporal resolution, the intertwined effects are outlined.
Gamze	Er	PhD student at the Technical University of Berlin. Guest researcher at LSTME Busan, a German Engineering and Development Center in Busan/South Korea.	The development of a biofilm based cultivation method for the ΔPGR5 strain of the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CR) for an energy and resource efficient biological production of hydrogen.
Muhammad Sohail	Riaz	Postdoctoral Researcher University of Galway, Ireland	Green hydrogen production with anion exchange membrane electrolysis.