„The journey towards climate neutrality is gaining momentum. Hydrogen is a key building block to achieving it.“ Ravi Srikandam, Project Manager Hydrogen is an important building block for achieving climate neutrality. The sooner climate neutrality is to be achieved, the sooner hydrogen has to be utilized. Thus, the role of hydrogen in the future energy system needs to be determined with high priority. This is reflected in the growing number of national and regional hydrogen strategies. In Germany, a national hydrogen council was launched in mid-2020. In addition, a large number of publications have appeared on the fascinating element hydrogen and its future potential as an energy carrier and feedstock. How can Germany become climate neutral by 2045 with the help of hydrogen? This question is answered by our energy team together with the project partners from the Öko-Institut and the Wuppertal Institut in the study "Climate Neutral Germany". In the climate-neutral scenario, considerable amounts of greenhouse gas-neutral hydrogen are used, as the following figure shows. The project team, consisting of engineers and economists, comes to the conclusion that a hydrogen demand of 63 terawatt hours (calorific value) could already emerge by 2030. By comparison, today's demand for natural gas is about 860 terawatt hours. By 2045, domestic hydrogen demand will rise to 265 terawatt hours. This corresponds to less than one third of today's natural gas consumption in Germany. Image Prognos, Öko-Institut, Wuppertal Institut Possible areas of application for hydrogen For electricity and district heating generation and power backup in the electricity sector As a reducing agent in the steel industry for the production of decarbonised steel In the chemistry sector as a molecular building block and For use as fuel in the transport sector (e.g. heavy-duty vehicles, aviation, ships). For further reading: Other issues investigated Which heat generator would be more efficient in a 100 percent renewable electricity system? Decentralized heat supply in a climate-neutral Germany (in German) Where can Germany set its technical and economic standards for new hydrogen technologies? Feasiblity studies: Innovations & Technology Centre for hydrogen What role does hydrogen play in Germany? Climate neutral Germany 2045 What role can hydrogen play in specific regions? Potentials for hydrogen in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region (in German), Report on the Energy Strategy Brandenburg 2040, Renewable energies in opencast mining regions At what cost can hydrogen and its downstream products be made available in the coming decades and why? Costs and transformation pathways for electricity-based energy carriers (in German) Does offshore production of hydrogen have advantages over onshore production with offshore electricity? Economic feasibility study of hydrogen production from offshore wind power, BSH (in German) More about our work in the field of Fuels & CO2 More about our work in the field of Power & Renewables Do you have questions? Your contact at Prognos Ravi Srikandam Project Manager View profile Sven Kreidelmeyer Project Manager View profile Hans Dambeck Project Manager View profile Our work on this topic Take a look at our latest projects and activities. Extra-high voltage line Ganderkesee – St. Hülfe 2023 | Project Grid operator TenneT has put an important power line into operation in Lower Saxony. Prognos supported the communication for the project. Read more 13th Energy Transition Monitoring 2025 | Project Primary energy consumption in Germany has fallen by a total of ten percent in the last two years. However, not all sectors have been successful. 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Read more Electricity price forecast 2023 2023 | Project In the medium and long term, average wholesale electricity prices are above the 2019/2020 level. Our updated scenarios for the vbw. Read more Green electricity atlas Expertise What do the targets of the Renewable Energy Sources Act mean for the German regions? The Prognos Energieatlas shows the availability of green electricity – in all 400 districts and independent cities. Read more Gas balance: Saving efforts must be intensified 2023 | Project update If savings continue to be as low as in January and February, the risk of a gas shortage will in-crease in the coming winter. Read more Background paper for a buildings strategy for climate neutrality 2023 | Project How can existing buildings become climate-neutral by 2045? On behalf of the BMWK, we developed scenarios and measures. Read more Evaluation of the European Green Deal ongoing | Project How effective has the EU cohesion policy been in driving green change in Europe? 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Various media sources have picked up on Prognos’ studies and expertise. Read more Electricity price forecast 2022 | Project How will the price of electricity develop over the next few years? A scenario calculation of wholesale electricity prices for the vbw. Read more Climate-neutral electricity sector 2035 2022 | Project This analysis for Agora Energiewende shows how the transformation of the German electricity sector can succeed by 2035. Read more Comparison of the "Big 5" climate neutrality scenarios 2022 | Project Transparency in the climate neutrality debate. A comparison of the "Big 5" climate neutrality scenarios. Read more Evaluation of combined heat and power (CHP) in Germany ongoing | Project In the context of the energy transition, the role of combined heat and power is also changing. Prognos evaluates the development and develops recommendations for funding and legal bases. 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Read more Climate Path for Germany 2018 | Project How can Germany reach its 2050 climate goals - and under what conditions is that possible? Those are the questions addressed by a study for the Association of German Industry (BDI). Read more Ex-post analysis of Swiss energy consumption 2015 2016 | Project Swiss energy consumption in the last 15 years has been slightly reduced. Technological progress and policy intervention played a central role, as shown by the analysis conducted by Prognos, TEP and Infras. Read more Energy scenarios for the Federal Government Energy Concept 2010 | Project The energy concept formulates scenario-based guidelines for a clean, reliable, and affordable energy supply. Read more Adobe Stock - CleverStock About us Prognos – Providing Orientation. Prognos is one of the oldest economic research centres in Europe. Founded at the University of Basel, Prognos experts have been conducting research for a wide range of clients from the public and private sectors since 1959 – politically independent, scientifically sound. Learn more