January 2005

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BERLIN - In an effort to boost public and political support for fuel cell technology, some 20 major German fuel cell organizations and initiatives last month joined forces to form a national Fuel Cell Alliance.

The new group, BZB (for “Brennstoffzellen-Buendnis Deutschland”), said in its announcement at a press conference here, more industrial and political support is needed to meet international competition. Its principal organizers were the German engineering federation VDMA, the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association DWV, Fuel Cell Europe and Initiative Brennstoffzelle, (Fuel Cell Initiative), a group organized by four large natural gas companies.

As a first step, BZB which combines more than 300 individual member organizations and groups under one umbrella, has drafted a 58-page strategic roadmap that lists the principal challenges, the state of the art and the measures needed to bring fuel cells to market in Germany.

Major companies who are part of the membership include carmakers DaimlerChrysler, VW, BMW, Toyota and Renault, electrical equipment maker Siemens, the utility RWE, Ballard Power Systems, Modine Europe, Smart Fuel Cells, Sulzer Hexis, and other large firms.

“To avoid being left out from a global leadership position, speedy political support of German fuel cell activities is essential,” BZB said in its announcement. “Only better coordination, efficient, time-limited and digressive market introduction instruments can advance innovation and reduce costs. At the same time, the relatively small budgets for research & development, demonstration and field testing must be increased, and Germany’s presence in European Union projects must be advanced.”

The alliance described the fuel cell potential for the economy, employment and the environment as “immense.” Fuel cells will come in any event, "if not from Germany, then to Germany," said Johannes Schiel, one of the alliance’s two co-chairmen and a VDMA executive.

Prof. Juergen Garche, a scientist at the Center for Solar and Hydrogen Research at Ulm University, who is the other BZB co-chairman, told H&FCL the next goal is to have five German ministries involved with fuel cell technology - Environment, Research, Transportation, Agriculture, and Economics - form an interministerial working group as a single government contact for the fuel cell industry. “We need to speak with one voice to the politicians and policymakers,” Garche, who is also a DWV board member, said.

Marcus Nurdin, managing director of the Frankfurt-based World Fuel Cell Council, and executive director of Fuel Cell Europe, told H&FCL his organization has, for a long time, regarded as part of its mission “to initiate and catalyze activities in various parts o the world.”

It was logical for the groups’ German members to ask, "why can’t we get our act together?" Nurdin added. "We all have common objectives, but different perspectives and different strengths, but we have to find unity and a common voice."

Nurdin didn’t say so, but this was a veiled reference to the fact that in Europe as well as in the United States and elsewhere, there are differences of opinion and even jealousies between groups that in theory should all be working together, as well as concerns about losing out in government funding compared to the other guy, for example. These differences exist between alternative and renewable energy supporters on one side and hydrogen on the other, but also between advocates of energy conservation and hydrogen economy supporters.

The initial government reaction was rather “non-spectacular,” as Schiel put it. Marco Buelow, renewable energies expert for the government coalition partner Social Democrats in Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, said formation of the new alliance to develop a market launch strategy “is welcome. The job now is to get politicians, the business community and research and development together to support these innovative technologies.”

Hans-Josef Fell, r&d expert for the other coalition partner, the Greens, in parliament, said economics and ecology “are allied in the fuel cell, permitting the reduction of environmental problems and at the same time job creation.” But Fell also said that in view of resource risks posed by the availability of natural gas in the future, “we urge industry to develop fuel cells directly for renewable energies. We have already supported biogas developments, and this should be expanded to cover bio-ethanol and other renewable energies.” Contact: Johannes Schiel, VDMA, phone 0049/69/6603-1876; e-mail johannes.schiel@vdma.org; website (in German)
www.brennstoffzelle-nds.de/BZ_Buendnis_Deutschland.html.