Germany should make a target binding in its wind at sea law to produce 10GW hydrogen from offshore wind by 2035.

An area at sea so far foreseen [in marine spatial planning] for offshore-to-H2 is far too small as it only has a potential for 300MW. More far-offshore North Sea zones should be made available, particularly in the so-called ‘ducks-beak’ part of the German exclusive economic zone, from where electricity grid-links would be rather expensive, but H2 pipelines less so.

As part of a 2GW offshore plus 1GW onshore ‘sprinter programme’ for green hydrogen production, Germany should kick-start H2 tenders in early 2023.

In order to be able to produce enough hydrogen at competitive prices, the requirements for electricity procurement for electrolysis must be as broad as possible. The specifications of the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), however, wrongly stipulate that green hydrogen should mainly be produced from new subsidy-free renewable energy plants.

A hydrogen collection pipeline in the North Sea can offer advantageous conditions for the transport of green hydrogen on land in the case of larger quantities of green hydrogen produced offshore.

Such a pipeline offers considerable advantages over laying sea and land cables in terms of time savings and environmental compatibility, especially over longer distances. With an installed generating capacity of 10GW, five cable systems would be required for a comparable electrical output.

Make the production of green hydrogen economical

Green hydrogen is not yet competitive with hydrogen produced from fossil fuels. Developing a competitive market design for offshore wind hydrogen is therefore a necessary step to level out cost differentials.

A program to support the market ramp-up of a German hydrogen industry and green hydrogen production should include a sustainable funding volume of at least €10bn $10.69bn).

Start training and employment program

The shortage of skilled workers is also increasing in the offshore wind industry and all other areas of the energy transition. The expansion of wind energy at sea and the development of a green hydrogen economy depend on well-trained specialists. The signatories therefore call for the requirements of the energy transition to be adapted to school, vocational and academic education accordingly. This includes strong promotion of women in so-called technical professions.

Form a hydrogen partnership between politics and business

The undersigned organisations are committed to a partnership between politics and business in order to participate quickly and effectively in setting the necessary course and to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies together with green hydrogen, especially at sea. This is what the "Offshore-Wind-H2-Acht" stands for, a joint initiative founded in 2021 by the signatory stakeholders.

German wind groups and unions demand speedy ramp-up of H2 output at sea