„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. 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 Gas balance: Saving efforts must be intensified 2023 | News 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 devel-oped scenarios and develop measures. Read more DG REGIO – Evaluation of the European Green Deal ongoing | Project How effective has the EU cohesion policy been in driving green change in Europe? This and other questions are being investigated jointly with COWI, Milieu, and CSIL, on behalf of the European Commission (DG REGIO). Read more 11th Energy Transition Monitoring 2023 | Project Our data shows: As the expansion of renewable energies has been particularly paralysed, a lot still needs to happen in the coming years if Germany is to achieve its energy and climate goals. Read more Regulation of third-party access to heating networks 2022 | Project The EU Commission wants to make third-party access to district heating networks mandatory. We assessed the consequences for Germany and the possible contribution to decarbonisation on behalf of the BMWK. Read more Interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung 2022 | News Energy expert Dr Almut Kirchner talks to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung about the Swiss energy system. Read more The world negotiates on climate 2022 | News On Sunday, the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) begins. 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 Decentralised heat supply in a climate-neutral Germany 2022 | Project What role does the heat pump play in a 100-percent renewable electricity system compared to hydrogen heating? An analysis for the Climate Neutrality Foundation. Read more Climate-Neutral Germany 2045 2021 | Project Together with the Öko-Institut and the Wuppertal Institute, we have investigated how Germany can achieve its climate targets even before 2050. Read more Climate neutrality & security of supply in the electricity market 2021 | Project Assessment of the security of supply until 2030 of the scenarios KN2050 and KN2045 from the study "Climate Neutral Germany". Read more EU’s Global Leadership in Renewables 2020 | Project Prognos, together with COWI, CEPS, and Capgemini invent, examines Europe's position and competitiveness in global renewable energy value chains. Read more 8th Monitoring of the Energy Transition 2020 | Project For the eighth time in a row, Prognos reports on the course of the energy transition in Germany and Bavaria until now, on behalf of the vbw - Vereinigung der Bayerischen Wirtschaft e. V. Read more Prognos Charging Report 2020 2020 | Project The Prognos Charging Report 2020 conducted on behalf of EnBW (Energie Baden-Württemberg) provides an overview of the status quo of charging infrastructure. Read more Future of th electricity system II 2018 | Project How can the transition to a power supply based on renewable energies by 2050 be successfully managed? This question is answered by a study for WWF Germany. 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 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