The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) and the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF-SO) hosted a webinar on "Hydrogen Valleys" on Friday, 8 September 2023. This webinar was a deliverable agreed upon by the subworking group on Transport, Storage and Consumption of the Indo-German Green Hydrogen Task Force. 

Approximately 200 participants from industry, public sector and research institutions took part in the webinar. Mr. Rolf Behrndt, Senior Hydrogen Specialist, GIZ Germany, welcomed the participants with his opening remarks. He highlighted the potential of Hydrogen Valleys in advancing the transition to sustainable energy systems. Also, Mr. Tom Mikus, Programme Manager at NOW GmbH and head of the subworking group put emphasis on the significance of Hydrogen Valleys in the Green Energy Transition, exploring opportunities for cooperation between India and Germany.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Dr. Prasad Chaphekar, Deputy Secretary, MNRE was invited to deliver his special address at the webinar. Dr. Chaphekar discussed requirements, development, design and incentives related to Hydrogen Valleys. 

Following Dr. Chaphekar’s address, Mr. Prasanto Roy, representing FTI Consulting and India Hydrogen Alliance (IH2A), spoke on the development of a hydrogen map and underscored the importance of consumption as a primary driver. He shared IH2A's ambitious plan to establish five national green hydrogen consortia requiring investments of up to $5 billion by 2030. Mr. Roy highlighted the Green Kochi Hydrogen Hub as a replicable model and emphasized the need to build domestic ecosystems alongside exports.

Ms. Sibyl Scharrer, Renewable Energy Hamburg, provided insights into various projects in Hamburg, including the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub and the city's import strategy. She also discussed the potential uses of hydrogen, including the Green Ammonia terminal.

Mr. Praseeth Prabhakaran, DVGW-EBI, focused on simulation models and scenarios, emphasizing the heterogeneous nature of energy valleys, the need for adaptable networks, and the requirement to adapt each valley to the specific circumstances of its location. He noted that optimizing all three aspects simultaneously is a complex challenge.

The presentations were followed by an open Q&A session, moderated by Mr. Behrndt, covering topics such as hydrogen refueling system standards, methanol hubs, port preparations for loading facilities, and the convergence of electric vehicles and hydrogen technologies.

Please find the presentations below:

Presentation on Hamburg- A European Hub for Global Hydrogen by Ms. Sibyl Scharrer

Presentation on System Analysis of Energy Valleys- Experiences and Insights from Ongoing Projects Mr. Praseeth Prabhakaran

Presentation on Regional Hydrogen Hubs- A $ 5B National Roadmap for 2030 by Mr. Prasanto Roy

Furthermore, recordings of the presentations can be found here: 

Webinar on "Hydrogen Valleys" - Youtube