VDMA: Hydrogen ‘the only way to climate neutrality’

Europe urged to step up P2X development projects, such as this green hydrogen project in China, put into commercial operation by Sinopec (Image: Sinopec)

Peter Müller-Baum, managing director of VDMA’s Power-to-X for Applications platform, said EU policymakers should now be prioritising hydrogen within their decarbonisation strategies.

In a VDMA statement, he said, “Hydrogen is the only way to achieve climate neutrality in the industry.”

Hydrogen technology is one of the pillars of Power-to-X (also known as PtX or P2X), a collective term for conversion technologies that turn electricity from renewable sources into carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.

On the subject of P2X, engineering firm Ramboll said, while “direct electrification is an important means to decarbonisation, we expect green hydrogen and e-fuels to be main solutions for sectors that are hard to electrify from 2030 and onwards”.

Significant growth market

Peter Müller-Baum, MD of VDMA’s Power-to-X for Applications platform. Photo: VDMA

Müller-Baum also stressed the need to develop more hydrogen-focused projects, saying, “We shouldn’t just keep talking about it but really get started now. The USA has long shown the way by promoting hydrogen projects worth $9.5 billion via the infrastructure package adopted in 2021.”

According to reports seen by the VDMA, the creation of approximately one million new jobs in the P2X sector is forecast by 2030, and as many as five million by 2050.

Meanwhile, Verified Market Research reports that the market for P2X is projected to reach approximately €358.4 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 12.10% from 2023 to 2030.

The VDMA has announced that it is partnering with this year’s decarbXpo – Germany’s trade fair for industrial decarbonisation – where it will present technologies and services that allow industrial and commercial enterprises to decarbonise their processes.

The event will take place between 28 and 30 November, at Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre.