Studies

Studies on potential, infrastructure, and market development provide scientific findings and scenarios that support the further development of the hydrogen market and offer a sound basis for decision-making.

Green Electricity and Hydrogen

The European energy system must think electrons and molecules together to achieve a cost-effecient and sustainable buildout of the future energy infrastructure. Europe needs to find new models to enable private capital to invest in the needed infrastructure buildout. These are the main messages of a joint industrial paper of Elia Group with their entities Elia in Belgium and 50Hertz in Germany together with Danish Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and German Gas TSO GASCADE Gastransport GmbH.

Green Electricity and Hydrogen for a competitive, resilient and clean European Energy System.

Hydrogen potential
in the northern Baltic Sea region

Europe’s aims to be climate-neutral by 2050. For that to be achieved, hydrogen will play an important role. But where will the hydrogen come from? That is currently being discussed at great length. What is certain is that Germany will be reliant on large quantities of imported hydrogen in the first few years of the hydrogen ramp-up. Studies expect the figure to be 50 to 70 per cent of demand.

The study “Potential for a Baltic Hydrogen Offshore Backbone”, which DNV was commissioned to carry out by the infrastructure operator GASCADE, examined the Baltic region and concludes that it holds significant potential for producing cheap, green hydrogen. Finland, in particular, could become an important hydrogen supplier with onshore production of hydrogen and make a significant contribution to the diversification of sources and energy independence in Europe.

The Baltic Sea region is favourable as a stable source not only from a geopolitical point of view: “If we know about such a large and comparatively inexpensive potential right on our doorstep, it would be criminal not to exploit it,” emphasises GASCADE Managing Director Ulrich Benterbusch regarding the need for energy supply security in the emerging hydrogen market.

DNV – Potential for a Baltic Hydrogen Offshore Backbone

Hydrogen production at sea
Study sees great potential

Offshore hydrogen production with the help of wind energy

Hydrogen is a low-carbon source of energy and thus plays an important role in achieving climate goals, decarbonising industry, and also in ensuring supply security. Hydrogen production in the EU needs to be ramped up in order to meet rising demand.

The European community faces complex decisions in this regard: Where should hydrogen be produced: onshore or offshore? Should energy be transported using power cables or hydrogen pipelines? And what are the benefits of an integrated offshore hydrogen network? A new study delivers important answers to these questions.

The study “Specification of a European Offshore Hydrogen Backbone,” which was commissioned from DNV by the infrastructure operators GASCADE and Fluxys, emphasises the significant advantages of an offshore hydrogen backbone in the Baltic and the North Sea. The energy generation potential of offshore wind farms at sea is huge and may even exceed the network’s capacity limits. According to the DNV study, offshore hydrogen production connected by pipeline is cheaper than onshore production.

Because of the lower cost of hydrogen transport compared to electricity transmission and the possibility of large pipelines transporting offshore hydrogen from multiple wind farms, the report assesses offshore hydrogen production to be an attractive option for offshore generation of wind energy, especially when located more than 100 kilometres from the mainland.

DNV – Specification of a European Offshore Hydrogen Backbone

Hydrogen market ramp-up in Eastern Germany by 2045

[Translate to Englisch:] Wasserstoffnetz bei technologieoffener Produktion im Szenario Diversifizierung für 2030 (links) und 2045 (rechts)

The existing pipeline infrastructure in Germany’s eastern states and the central location offer enormous potential for developing Eastern Germany into a hydrogen hub for Germany and Europe. That is revealed by a study by the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne (EWI).

The study examines the development of regional hydrogen balances in Eastern Germany based on the reference years 2030 and 2045 in two scenarios: an electrification scenario and a diversification scenario. It makes clear that a combination of rededication of existing natural gas pipelines and investment in new hydrogen infrastructure is absolutely necessary to transport the hydrogen required in Eastern Germany in the future from the production sites to the consumption centres.

The study was commissioned by GASCADE.

Hydrogen market ramp-up in Eastern Germany by 2045