Despite the increased cost of natural gas and electricity in the EU, the German side still adheres to plans to intensify the energy transition.
On Wednesday, December 8, the 2nd Russian-German Hydrogen Energy Conference was held. More than seven hundred scientists, businessmen, politicians, and public figures took part in the conference and discussed online the future cooperation plans in the field of carbon footprint reduction and the implementation of green economy ideas.
According to Klaus Töpfer, former Minister of the Environment of Germany, the Russian-German Raw materials Dialogue, as part of which the conference took place, is an effective platform that has allowed our countries to implement a number of joint projects. He expressed the hope that it will continue in the future, especially since both countries are interested in the further mutually beneficial partnership, including in the minimization of anthropogenic impact on nature.
“By 2045, Germany plans to be a climate-neutral country. This is a very serious challenge, a very ambitious goal that requires a lot of effort to achieve. Today our carbon footprint is 10 tons per person. That is a lot when you consider that Germany has a population of around 80 million,” said Mr. Töpfer.
To reduce this figure, the EU plans, above all, to increase solar and wind power generation; these sources remain a priority. However, it is quite obvious that they will not be able to ensure the energy security of the EU. Therefore, as Klaus Töpfer clarified, “we will need to import electricity and develop hydrogen technology.”
"Many states in Europe are on this path, significant funds are allocated for this purpose. The agreement signed the day before by the parties in the ruling coalition says that we need to develop cooperation with Russia, including in the field of hydrogen technology. I am sure we need each other and only if we work together we will be able to solve such important tasks for both countries,” the former Minister of Environment of Germany said.
Vladimir Litvinenko, the rector of St. Petersburg Mining University, scientific leader of the interdepartmental working group on the development of hydrogen energy in Russia, reminded that the conference is held in parallel with the elections of a new chancellor in the Bundestag.
“We hope that the new government will be a development government for Germany. And it will create prerequisites for an increase in the degree of trust between our countries. This is a fundamental condition for the realization of common economic interests,” Vladimir Litvinenko addressed his colleagues.
He reminded that nowadays the energy policy of many countries is based on achieving carbon neutrality. However, the accelerated pace of energy transition often does not take into account the limited possibilities of scientific progress, which directly affects the sustainability of the world’s fuel and energy complex. Another problem is the lack of mechanisms capable of guaranteeing the supply of raw materials in the volumes needed to implement new environmental initiatives. Rare earth metals, copper, and many other elements necessary for the construction of wind turbines are controlled by a narrow group of beneficiaries, and as a result, they are constantly increasing in price.
“The share of non-fossil energy should increase evolutionarily, as the technology and product are ready. Of course, the problems that prevent the use of hydrogen in the energy industry: its production, storage, and transportation, are scientifically solvable. But the creation of the market is hindered by excessively high costs and lack of economic profitability,” said the rector of Mining University.
Another serious shortcoming of the proponents of the intensification of the energy transition, he named the problems associated with the utilization of renewable energy, whose life has come to an end. Today, for example, no available technologies are allowing recycling blades of wind turbines. In other words, no one has counted the full range of costs for the creation of carbon-free energy, which means that the cost of the energy transition may be much higher than it seems today. Although the amount is already staggering: $131 trillion.
“Russia and Germany need a full-fledged energy cooperation agreement that would spell out how much energy and metal imports the Federal Republic of Germany will need in the foreseeable future. This step would allow us to improve our global energy security and make the prospects for reducing our carbon footprint clearer. We are interested in creating a common European space based on the principles of a green economy. But this requires less talk and more action,” summed up Vladimir Litvinenko.
Torsten Herdan, the Head of Energy Policy - Warmth and Efficiency in the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, expressed his hope that Nord Stream 2 will soon be up and running. And this is another confirmation of the intention of both parties to develop joint mutually beneficial projects. According to the representative of the German Federal Government, initiatives related to H2 should have a special place among them.
“In eight years, we’re going to be generating 80% of all the electricity we need through renewable sources. To do this, we need to triple our solar and wind power capacity. We also plan to reduce the carbon footprint of our heat consumption by 50% by 2030. This is an ambitious goal, and we cannot achieve it without importing electricity, including from Russia. I’m glad we can discuss this kind of project on the platform of the Russian-German Feedstock Forum and in the future, thanks to joint work, implement them,” Torsten Herdan said.
The Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Energy and the President of the Russian Gas Society Pavel Zavalny was a bit less optimistic. On one hand, he called hydrogen power engineering “one of the promising directions in the energy transition”. But on the other hand, he noted that implementation of ideas related to the first number of the Mendeleev Table “still raises more questions than gives answers”.
“There is no market yet. Hydrogen production is at least 3-5 times more expensive than methane production. In addition, it leaves a carbon footprint at this stage of technological development. There is no regulatory framework, both at the national and international levels. It is also obvious that the implementation in practice of the plans we are discussing will lead to higher electricity prices in those regions where H2 will be used as an energy source. In addition, due to lower investment in hydrocarbons, the cost of natural gas and oil will increase. The price per barrel can exceed $100 in the medium term, which will have a negative effect on the stability of the world economy," warned Pavel Zavalny.
In the nearest future, one of the priorities of the organizing committee members of the Russian-German Feedstock Forum will be setting up a joint working group whose mission will include synchronization of the legislation of Germany and Russia as well as safety standards in the sphere of hydrogen technologies. It will be an important step on the way to the realization of the corresponding partnership programs.
It is worth mentioning that the 2nd Russian-German conference on hydrogen energy was also attended by Fridtjof Mennel, head of the European and International Cooperation Department of the German Ministry of Education and Research; Evgeny Gribov, director of the Fuel and Energy Engineering Department of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade; Hans-Joachim Polk, VNG AG board member; Boris Tarasov, head of the Laboratory of Materials for Hydrogen Energy Storage of the Institute of Chemical Physics Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and others.
