Bavaria's H2 Offensive: Söder's Dream of Green Hydrogen

The Bavarian state government is heavily betting on "green hydrogen" as an alternative to fossil fuels and has announced an investment of 500 million euros, including the establishment of a network of electrolyzers. Of this sum, 150 million euros will be allocated to set up 50 of these plants across Bavaria. A pilot plant was established in July 2021 together with Siemens in Wunsiedel, Upper Franconia, at a cost of 20 million euros. According to the company, it is one of the largest in Germany. Initially, it is expected to produce 440 tons of hydrogen per year, later increasing to 1,350 tons per year. The former equates to 14.7 million kilowatt-hours or the consumption of 4,800 three-person households, as estimated by the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Is the Free State perhaps miscalculating? This would mean that each of the 50 plants could be subsidized with three million euros, while the Wunsiedel plant was supported by the federal government with twelve million euros. For hydrogen production, a state-of-the-art and most powerful electrolyzer product line from Siemens Energy, with an overall electrical capacity of 8.75 megawatts, is used here. The "Silyzer 300" is based on PEM technology, which is optimally suited for operation with renewable energies, as Siemens specifies.

Hydrogen as a Miracle Solution?

The state government seems to hope that green hydrogen can also be used in mobility for cars, trucks, airplanes, and ships. Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) and his Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), who initiated the hydrogen strategy in 2019, are also on board with this. Bavaria also operates its own "Hydrogen Center.Bavaria" and a hydrogen alliance with nearly 300 partners from industry, research, and associations. The "green hydrogen" produced in Wunsiedel is primarily intended for industrial and commercial enterprises in the region, specifically the glass and ceramics industries, which consume a lot of energy. But transport companies and automotive suppliers should also benefit from it.

For energy-intensive productions, as planned in Wunsiedel, the application seems plausible. Similarly, it is suitable for the chemical industry for decarbonization. Hence, expanding renewable energies in the Free State is crucial, one way or another. The green opposition in the state parliament agrees and believes electrolyzers at grid nodes, where there is a lot of electricity available or at pipelines to industrial centers like the chemical triangle in the southeast, are sensible. Green parliamentary group leader Ludwig Hartmann accuses Söder of "putting the cart before the horse." The opposition politician warns that we must first reach a "surplus of clean electricity."