Germany is very keen on Canadian hydrogen and hydrogen technology such as fuel cells. It is so interested, in fact, that Messe Stuttgart—a German conference and trade fair organizer—held its second Canadian hydrogen and fuel cell conference in Vancouver last week to explore opportunities and challenges in developing a hydrogen economy.The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2050, hydrogen will account for 10 per cent of global energy.
Stefan Kaufmann, a member of the German parliament, told the hy-fcell conference that there are “clear geopolitical advantages to a strong energy trade relationship” between Canada and Germany. “That is the big problem at the moment in Germany and in Europe—the lack of infrastructure,” Kaufmann said. But it can be troublesome to store and transport, so most exports of hydrogen will likely be shipped in the form of ammonia —which is easier to transport—and then turned back into hydrogen and nitrogen at the receiving end.
On the West Coast, Rob Booker, CEO of Trigon Terminals in Prince Rupert, is working to position his company as a hydrogen fuel exporter serving the Asian market. He added that he was “agnostic” as to how the hydrogen and ammonia would be produced, so long as there are significant volumes coming out of Western Canada.
The problem with battery-electric vehicles is that they take time to recharge. For drayage trucks and trains operating at ports, fuel cells might be a better option, because they can fuel quickly and operate over many hours. Attendees at last week’s conference also heard of a novel approach for making hydrogen from water using both heat and electricity.