Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Dresden
SAXONY IS COMMITTED TO HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIES
Saxony is a dynamic and vibrant business venue in Germany with a long and successful industrial tradition and is characterized by great innovative power.
Saxony is also one of the leading locations for hydrogen and fuel cell technology while also offering additional positive parameters:
Highly innovative and flexible global players and SMEs, a diversified and superbly linked research community as well as a professional training and educational system that is unparalleled in all of Europe.
Numerous stakeholders in Saxony are active along the entire value creation chain for a successful transformation of the German energy system (“energy turnaround”): They’re developing decentralized plants for the generation of electric power and heat, working on new types and intelligent methods of energy use, and applying their expert knowledge to the introduction of sustainable transportation and propulsion systems – also based on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
All stakeholders actively support close cooperation across different institutions and branches – in clusters, networks, research projects, and research associations.
In order to boost the hydrogen economy and the fuel cell industry in Saxony, partners from industry and research cooperate in the Innovation Cluster “Wasserstoffland Sachsen” ("Hydrogen State Saxony") which features Saxony as a state for hydrogen technologies. Under this name, they continue the activities of the “HZwo – Drive for Saxony” cluster which had been founded as Saxony’s competence center for hydrogen and fuel cells in 2017. More than 100 companies and research institutions are working closely together in the energy, industry, and mobility sectors on the topics green hydrogen and fuel cells. The branch and research network is supported by the HZwo e. V. association Chemnitz and – as consortium partner – the Energy Saxony e. V. association Dresden.
The stakeholders of the cluster are stepping up and promoting the development of fuel cells and electrolyzers as well as the requisite commercial infrastructure and application projects of green hydrogen in Saxony. In addition, the HZwo e. V. association also heads the establishment of the national Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Center (ITZ) in Chemnitz.
The primary focal points of the cluster’s work are establishing pilot lines and/or pilot factories as well as technology centers in Saxony; researching and developing new products, processes, and services for small and medium sized Saxon enterprises; creating the requisite infrastructure; implementing hydrogen technologies and applications; and improving the economic efficiency of green hydrogen.
Source: HZwo e. V.
SAXONY’S COMPETENCE CENTER FOR FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGIES
Due to the great complexity and the large number of components of fuel cell systems, it is important to be familiar with the entire system in order to identify the potentials for optimization with regard to costs and energy efficiency. The HZwo e. V. association supports its partners so that they can examine the interrelationships above and beyond the value creation chain.
Available services:
Technical consultation on current hydrogen and fuel cell technologies
Initiation and coordination of research and transfer projects
Assistance in getting EU, federal, or state funding
Technology workshops – meetings on key technical topics
Continuing education seminars
Organizing trade show participations
Press and public relations
National and international networking with commercial enterprises and research institutions
Source: Energy Saxony e. V.
THE ENERGY CLUSTER FOR SAXONY
In Saxony’s energy and environmental technology cluster ENERGY SAXONY e. V., stakeholders from the business and scientific communities are pooling their expert knowledge and cooperating with one another with the objective of developing innovative solutions for safeguarding and assuring a sustainable, resource and environmentally friendly energy supply; advancing the thermal energy and mobility turnaround; and establishing a green economy based on a circular model. The network pools in particular competences for zero emissions technologies, creates use cases for green hydrogen across branches and nations, and, thus, strengthens the business venue Saxony in the global competition. By linking the stakeholders from the business and scientific communities within the scope of a wide range of events and programs for cooperation, ENERGY SAXONY transfers Saxony’s potential for innovation into technological progress designed to serve the public while also promoting the energy turnaround.
