Emerging hydrogen value chains in Germany An interview with LBST

德国逐渐走向成熟的氢能价值链

In German language, hydrogen is called ‘Wasserstoff’. As a literal translation to English, we could say ‘material of water’, a term that’s particularly timely given the large number of water electrolysis projects underway in Germany at present.

在德语中，氢被称为Wasserstoff。就从字面意思翻译成英语的话，我们可以说是“水的组成材料”，特别在是德国现在正在进行大量的电解水的项目，这一术语的出现，显得尤为及时。

Against this backdrop, H2 View met up with Dr. Uwe Albrecht, Managing Director of Ludwig Bölkow Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST), to discuss how the hydrogen economy is developing in Germany and how his organisation is helping to shape the future.

在这样的大背景下，我们采访了德国的Ludwig Bölkow Systemtechnik GmbH的总监，Uwe Albrecht博士，跟他共同探讨了正在发展中的德国氢能经济，他们组织是如何影响并协助塑造未来的。

01

Thanks for your time Dr. Albrecht, what is the core of your consulting work at LBST?

感谢Albrecht博士。请问咱们公司的核心业务是什么？

Private and public sector organisations rely on us to advise on a range of topics, including aspects of policy and strategy related to the emerging hydrogen economy. The questions from private companies are often about how to build business models that fit in the emerging hydrogen value chains. And for some, the concerns are that hydrogen may represent a threat to their current revenue streams and they are keen to adjust their strategy to ensure that they maintain relevance and profitability in the future.

有一些公私合营部门依赖我们对一系列的主题提供建议，包括新兴的氢能经济相关政策和战略方面。一些私营公司经常问到的问题是，如果建立起合适的新兴的氢能经济的商业模式。对一些人来说，氢能经济的出现可能会威胁到他们目前的收入来源，但他们渴望调整自己的战略方向，确保自己保持未来氢能经济的相关性以及盈利能力。

Public sector clients are keen to design a supportive regulatory framework with a good understanding of the potential economic and environmental consequences of policy shifts. My team at LBST gets involved in all these areas.

一些政府部门的客户主要是想设计一个支持性的监管框架，并充分理解政策转变可能会带来的经济和环保效果。我们的团队参与了以上所有的这些领域的活动。

02

And how did you find your way into the hydrogen consulting space?

您是如何进入氢能咨询领域的？

Personally, with experience in venture capital and industry, I have had the chance to evaluate a wide range of sustainable energy business models and technologies at an early stage in their trajectory. At LBST, we have been active in analysing hydrogen as an energy vector for over 30 years, having been a key contributor to ‘Solarwasserstoff Bayern’ which was the first German Power-to-Gas project back in 1989.

就我个人来说，我有着风险投资以及氢能行业经验，有机会在可持续的能源商业模式和技术的早期发展阶段，对它们进行评估。在我们公司，30多年来一直在积极的对氢能作为一种能源载体进行积极的分析，并在1989年的德国的首个‘Solarwasserstoff Bayern’能源转换项目中，发挥了关键性的作用。

At present, there are some major hydrogen projects underway in Germany but considering its potential, the use of hydrogen as an energy vector it is still in its infancy. So, with my background and with the long experience of the team, we can appreciate the economic and technical sides of the hydrogen coin. This means that LBST can help policy makers and commercial entities to understand how the future may unfold and how they can get involved to unlock hydrogen’s potential to support our decarbonisation goals.

目前，德国有一些大型的氢能项目在进行，但考虑到氢能的利用潜力，氢能作为能源载体的利用，仍然处于起步阶段。因此，据我的背景和团队的经验，我们可以重视氢能经济和技术研发方面。这也就意味着说，我们可以协助政策制订者和行业从业者了解氢能经济未来会如何发展，如何参与并开发氢能利用潜力，对我们脱碳目标进行支持。

03

Regarding policy, in what areas do you see potential for regulatory developments?

谈到政策方面，您认为在哪些方面，还有发展规划的潜力？

At present, in Germany, there is a high level of regulation applied to the power generation and electricity grid operators. For example, grid operators may not produce power. Also, the gas network and the electricity grid are not regulated in an integrated way. We expect that there will need to be more flexibility in the future because hydrogen production by Power-to-Gas coupled with delivering the hydrogen through elements of the gas grid to consumers in all energy sectors, possibly also including large turbines or fuel cells to convert it back to electrical power, means that gas distribution grids can complement the electricity grid.

目前德国对发电和电网运营的监管水平很高。比如说，电网运营商不能发电。此外，天然气管网和电网也没有进行统一管理。我们预计，在未来我们需要更多灵活性的政策，因为Power-to-Gas制氢，加上通过气体管网向能源领域的消费者供氢，可能包括大型涡轮机或利用燃料电池发电，意味着说气体管网可以对电网的电力进行补充。

This integration is especially attractive in Germany, where we generate large quantities of power in the north, but struggle to distribute that to markets in the south. The gas grid can help us out here, and a new approach to the relevant regulations will enable that integration.

这种融合在德国尤其有吸引力。我们在德国北部发了大量的电，却很难将其输送到德国南方的市场。在这方面，天然气管网可协助我们，出台的新的法规可将这种融合成为可能。

04

Can you elaborate on a power to hydrogen project that LBST has been involved in recently?

您能具体说一下公司所参与的Power to Hydrogen的项目吗？

Yes, ‘Element Eins’ is a relevant example here; we were involved in writing the feasibility study.  At the heart of the project is a 100 MW electrolyser that generates green hydrogen from renewable power which is produced by wind turbines off the coast of Niedersachsen in northern Germany.

是的，我们所参与的‘Element Eins’就是一个例子：我们参与了可行性报告研究。这个项目的核心是100兆瓦的电解槽，利用可再生能源生产绿色氢气。可再生能源是德国北部下萨克森州沿岸的涡轮机所发的电。

There are several projects in the planning stage at this scale and, in my view, 100 MW represents the next natural scale-up step. These pilots are not yet delivering commercial returns, but they will help to prove that the technology is scalable, and they collectively send a clear signal to regulators that policy development must soon catch up with the physical reality.

在德国有几个这样的项目正在规划阶段，在我看来，100兆瓦代表着下一步的自然的扩大规模。这些试点项目还没有商业回报，但它们将会证明这些技术是可拓展的，并同时向监管机构发出了明确的信号，那就是，政策制订必须要尽快跟上实际。

05

In the industrial gases sector, hydrogen pipelines are common in the refining and chemicals sectors. Are there projects in Germany taking place in these areas?

在气体领域，氢气管道在炼油和化工行业很常见。在德国的一些地区有这些项目吗？

Perhaps we can look at the Hypos initiative here. For the past three years stakeholders have been investing in R&D and building infrastructure in Eastern Germany to enable the use of green hydrogen in mobility, energy, refining and chemicals applications. In this concentrated geographic location, the hydrogen economy can be proven at scale and the full value chain from green hydrogen production through storage and to use can be stress-tested.

也许我们可以看看Hypos的倡议。在过去的三年里，利益相关者一直在对东德的氢能基础设施建设进行研发，以使得绿色氢能在交通，能源，炼油和化工等领域的应用成为可能。在这个比较集中的地理位置，氢能的规模利用可以得到证实，并从绿色的生产到存储到整个氢能的价值链进行压力测试。

It has really built up a lot of momentum and approximately 100 companies and organisations are now involved. Some of the major global industrial gas producers are on the list of partners, as are some of our leading Germany universities and several hydrogen electrolyser producers.

这个项目约有100家公司和组织参与其中。一些全球主要的气体生产商都出现在了合作伙伴名单上，一些知名的德国大学和电解槽生产也在合作伙伴名单上。

06

Specifically, which industrial sector applications do you see adopting green hydrogen in the short term?

具体地说，在短期内，哪些行业会采用绿氢为燃料？

My observation is that the refining sector is taking the lead here. For them it is a rather simple substitution of hydrogen produced from fossil fuels on steam methane reformers (SMR) to the use of green hydrogen from electrolysers. Perhaps the Get H2 Nukleus project in north west Germany is a clear forerunner here. A 100 MW electrolyser will generate green hydrogen which will be connected by pipeline to two BP refineries in Lingen and Gelsenkirchen.

据我观察，精炼行业处于领先地位。对他们来说，这种应用相当的简单，蒸汽甲烷转化代替从化石燃料燃料中生产的氢，替换成电解槽生产的绿色氢。

In the chemicals sector, the same is sometimes possible and Evonik is also tapping into the Lingen hydrogen pipeline.

在化工领域，这种情况也是有可能的。Evonik就在参与林根的氢能管道的项目。

07

And, are other carbon intensive industries following in this direction?

还有其它的密集碳排放的行业在向此转型吗？

Steelmaking is certainly taking big steps here. A fundamental step in the production of steel is the reduction of iron oxide ore to iron. This is generally performed using coke which is produced from coal through pyrolysis. The coke reacts with the ore to yield the desired iron and carbon dioxide.

钢铁行业在这方面无疑是迈出了一大步。钢铁生产的一个基本的步骤是把氧化铁还原成铁。这通常利用焦炭来完成，焦炭由煤通过热解产生。焦炭和矿石发生反应，产生所需的铁和CO2.

As an alternative, hydrogen can be used in a process referred to as ‘direct reduction’ or DR. In this case, the hydrogen reacts with the ore to produce iron and water vapour. The ArcelorMittal plant in Hamburg is conducting tests to establish the viability of this process right now.

作为替代，氢气可以在一种被称为“直接还原”的过程中使用。在这种情况下，氢和矿石发生反应，产生铁和水蒸汽。在德国汉堡的米塔尔工厂正在对此进行测试，来确保这一过程的可行性。

In terms of the implications for industrial gases consumption, thousands of tonnes per day of oxygen is used for basic oxygen steelmaking around the world. This new direct reduction process could see hydrogen becoming an equally important gas for DR in that industry as we seek to decarbonise.

就对全球气体消耗的影响来说，全球每天有成千上万吨氧气用来炼钢。这种新的直接还原的过程，可让氢气在我们寻求脱碳的过程中，成为非常重要的气体。

08

How can hydrogen play a role beyond gas pipelines and our energy grid?

除了天然气管网和电网，氢能还能发挥什么样的作用？

Mobility is likely to be a major application for hydrogen. Definitely in heavy-duty commercial vehicles and trains, and very likely in long-range and high-end passenger cars. Beyond that, shipping is also showing potential. The heavier end of the mobility sector is especially suited to using hydrogen because of the power-to-weight advantage that it offers over batteries.

交通应用可能氢能的主要应用领域。当然了主要是重型商用卡车和火车，也有可能是长距离运输的高端汽车。除此之处，在航运领域，氢能应用也显示出了自己的潜力。涉及到重量比较大的运输，氢能应用比较合适，它比电池更有动力重量比的优势。

The Alstom Corodia iLint hydrogen powered regional train is a great case study here. In fact, two of the trains now operate to connect various cities in Lower Saxony. The Alstom team at Salzgitter developed the train and our shareholder TÜV SÜD acted as testing and inspection body for Alstom during the development and approval process.

在德国的阿尔斯通的氢能火车的应用就是一个很好的案例。事实上，现在有2列氢能火车正在下萨克森州城市运营。在Salzgitter的阿尔斯通的团队对氢能火车进行了研发，我们的股东TÜV SÜD是阿尔斯通氢能火车的研发和审批过程的测试和验证机构。

LBST was a key contributor to a study on infrastructure and regulatory approvals for the German government, paving the way for the eventual implementation.

我们公司在德国政府基础设施和监管审批研究过程的发挥了关键作用，为政策的最终实施铺平了道路。

09

about those heavy transportation applications, who are likely to be early adopters of hydrogen for maritime mobility?

有关这些重型交通应用，谁有可能是海上运输应用的早期采用者？

The cruise sector leads with their interest to adopt hydrogen as a propulsion system. Partly because nobody wants to get coated with dirty soot particles from the exhaust gases from the cruiser’s funnel when sunbathing by the onboard pool. Furthermore, the type of people who book Arctic and Antarctic cruises tend to show an interest in sustainable energy usage onboard the ship.

游轮行业对采用氢能作为推进系统很感兴趣。部分原因是，没人想在船上的游泳池里晒太阳的时候，身上还落有船上排放的废气物中所落的肮脏的煤烟颗粒。不仅如此，预订北极和南极旅游的人，往往对船上的可持续发展能源很感兴趣。

There are also discussions taking place in Norway that some fjords will only be open to non-polluting ships in the future. So, to offer access to these jewels of nature, cruise operators will need to convert to a clean fuel such as hydrogen.

挪威也正在讨论，一些峡湾只向无污染的船只开放。因此，为了这些大自然的瑰宝，游轮的运营商们需要把燃料换成清洁的燃料，比如说，氢气。