It doesn't work without iridium: electrolyser from Siemens Energy
Image: picture alliance / SvenSimon
Catalysts are needed to produce hydrogen. Iridium is particularly important, but also rare and expensive. Is the federal government's hydrogen strategy in danger of failing due to a lack of raw materials?
GBig plans can fail because of small details. And the plans for building a water management system are certainly big. In order to replace natural gas and coal, a generation capacity of ten gigawatts is to be built up in Germany by the end of the decade, according to the federal government's hydrogen strategy adopted last year. Germany is not alone in this; the United States is massively promoting the development of a hydrogen infrastructure. If all of the projects currently being discussed were implemented worldwide, the global installed capacity could amount to 170 to 365 gigawatts in 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.
Many suppliers rely on polymer electrolyte membrane technology, or PEM electrolysis for short, to produce hydrogen. It has a reputation for being able to react particularly flexibly to changing electricity supply, i.e. working with an overall high level of efficiency even under temporarily low loads. Accordingly, the plant manufacturers are expanding their capacities with political support; the new Siemens Energy factory in Berlin was personally opened by the Chancellor and Economics Minister in November. A small detail, far too small to attract political attention, plays a crucial role in ensuring that all the strategies and corporate planning work.
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