Five years Hydrogen Center Bavaria (H2.B) and Hydrogen Alliance Bavaria

NUREMBERG – Today, the Hydrogen Center Bavaria (H2.B) is celebrating its fifth anniversary. The Center can already look back on a remarkable success story. With the objective of closely supporting the implementation of the Bavarian hydrogen strategy and connecting key players from business, science and politics, the Center was established at the Energy Campus Nuremberg in 2019, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Veronika Grimm and Prof. Dr. Peter Wasserscheid. Since its beginning, the H2.B has bundled the entire hydrogen expertise from Bavaria aiming at building a strong Bavarian hydrogen economy and accelerating practical applications.

Acclaimed platform for hydrogen

Following its foundation in September 2019, the H2.B has established itself nationally and internationally as the acclaimed platform for hydrogen in Bavaria as it brings together the diverse hydrogen expertise and activities of the Free State of Bavaria. The Center also coordinates the activities of the Hydrogen Alliance Bavaria, a joint platform for networking and knowledge transfer which – as of now – brings together more than 370 partners from industry and research along the entire hydrogen value chain.

Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, Hubert Aiwanger, congratulates on the fifth anniversary: “The Hydrogen Center Bavaria has contributed to Bavaria taking a leading role in the field of hydrogen. With the H2.B, we have created a platform that closely connects business, science, and politics – a success model that is now indispensable. For this reason, the H2.B also plays a central role in our Hydrogen Strategy 2.0.”

“With the clear vision of positioning Bavaria as a pioneering region for green hydrogen technologies, the H2.B has made a significant contribution to enabling the networking between science, industry and politics in recent years”, says Co-Director Prof. Peter Wasserscheid. “Numerous activities and collaborations have been initiated – not only to drive forward technological development in Bavaria, but also to strengthen Bavaria’s economic competitiveness.”

Co-Director Prof. Veronika Grimm adds: “Hydrogen as an energy carrier will play an important role in the Bavarian energy system and make a significant contribution to the energy transition. The H2.B was founded to accelerate the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in Bavaria and has successfully helped to shape it over the past five years.”

Informing, networking and advising

Guided by the key mission of Informing, Networking and Consulting the H2.B pursues the overarching goal of strengthening the hydrogen economy in Bavaria and supporting its ramp-up through knowledge and technology transfer as well as cooperation. To this end, the Center offers numerous events, networking activities and information services that are not only focused on Bavaria but are often carried out in cooperation with key players from other federal states and countries. For instance, the H2.B works closely together with its counterpart from Baden-Wuerttemberg, the Platform H2BW, by organizing the yearly, cross-national event “Länderdialog” to foster the exchange between hydrogen players from both states. In an international context, the H2.B cooperates with the Norsk Hydrogen Forum (NHF) and Hydrogen Scotland.

In recent years, the H2.B has participated in numerous international political events, such as round tables, delegation trips and workshops. As a conceptual partner, the H2.B contributes its expertise and strong network to the HYDROGEN DIALOGUE Summit + Expo, a yearly event organized by NürnbergMesse GmbH.

Strong network

Over the past 5 years, the Hydrogen Alliance Bavaria has grown from 18 founding partners to 370 players, making it one of the largest hydrogen networks in Germany. The Alliance unites actors along the entire hydrogen value chain and represents the Bavarian hydrogen landscape with its great expertise and innovative strength. The H2.B promotes the exchange between Alliance partners, but also with other national and international hydrogen organizations, by organizing information and networking events or by offering participation in trade fairs and delegation trips.

Hydrogen Roadmap Bavaria

Through own analyses and close exchange with Alliance partners and other national and international hydrogen players, the H2.B has extensive insights into current challenges and opportunities for the hydrogen ramp-up. Since its foundation, the H2.B has therefore accompanied the development and updating of the Bavarian Hydrogen Strategy by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. In May 2022, the H2.B published the Bavarian Hydrogen Roadmap highlighting the prospects and actions required to accelerate the ramp-up of the Bavarian hydrogen economy. An update of the Bavarian Hydrogen Roadmap is planned for 2025.

Dr. Fabian Pfaffenberger, Managing Director of H2.B: “Our successes over the last five years are the result of hard work and intensive collaboration. We are proud of what we have achieved and will continue to work hard in the future to further advance the field of hydrogen in Bavaria. We would like to thank all our partners and supporters and look forward to the next five years.”

Here you can find more impressions of the past five years.