1998-02-23, Bavaria confirms its engagement in hydrogen, Hydrogen-Gazette

1998-02-04, "Fuel Cells are the future.", Hydrogen-Gazette

1997-12-18, Hydrogen projects in Bavaria, Hydrogen-Gazette

1997-06-26, Press release of Ludwig Bölkow, "Ludwig Bölkow welcomes new energy program of the Bavarian State Government"

1997-06-26, "With new energy into the future", declaration of state by Dr. Otto Wiesheu, Bavarian State Minister for economics, transport and technology presenting the comprehensive concept of the Bavarian State Government for the efficient and environmentally sound generation and use of energy.

Home page of WIBA, co-ordinators of the Hydrogen Initiative Bavaria (in German only)

Press Release

Ottobrunn, June 26, 1997

Ludwig Bölkow welcomes new energy program of the Bavarian State Government

Ludwig Bölkow welcomes the 150 million DM program as setting an example for Germany. The Bavarian State Minister for Economy, Transport and Technology, Dr. Otto Wiesheu, has presentd an ambitious global concept for rational and environmentally benign generation and use of energy in Munich on June 26, 1997.

Ludwig Bölkow regards this program as an important step for further funding of hydrogen and for expanding the share of renewable energies in Bavaria. This is an important contribution for merging the industrial know-how and thus for securing competitiveness of Bavarian industry. Dr. Bölkow now sees good perspectives that the know-how in hydrogen and the infrastructure available at Ottobrunn, South, can be utilized in the future.

In the program by the Bavarian State Government, Dr. Bölkow sees also a confirmation of the work carried out on renewable energies, hydrogen and clean propulsion technologies by the Ludwig-Bölkow-Foundation and the Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH over many years.

Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH

"With new energy into the future"

Excerpts of the declaration of state by

Dr. Otto Wiesheu

Bavarian State Minister for economics, transport and technology

presenting the comprehensive concept of the Bavarian State Government for the efficient and environmentally sound generation and use of energy.

Unauthorized translation by Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH

Bavaria goes with new energy into the future. [...]

We expect around 150 mio. DM [about US$ 86 mio, the translator] from the privatization of the following energy shares:

• Bayerische Wasserkraftwerke
• Bayernwerk Wasserkraft AG
• Bayerngas GmbH
• Fränkisches Überlandwerk AG (FÜW)

We want to put emphasis – of course in accordance with the Bavarian Parliament – on fostering renewable energy and new energy technologies with these 150 mio DM. We reinvest, thus, this sum from the energy sector into the energy sector – obeying the motto: "Not owning, but forming". [...]

Bavaria will concentrate the available sum of about 150 mio. DM on four funding areas: [...]

Second: 50 mio DM [US$ 29 mio., the translator] for fostering the development and demonstration of the hydrogen energy technology:

• Hydrogen enables – better than batteries – the storage of renewable energies and a demand oriented energy supply.
• Hydrogen allows the use of renewable energies in the transport sector.
• Hydrogen promises a growing market with good export opportunities and secure jobs.

In all of the four funding areas, it is important for us to

• foster the technological development,
• enhance our lead over international competitors in energy technologies,
• use all niches where already today renewable energies and new energy technologies can be applied sensibly,
• use all cost reduction and rationalization potentials,
• initiate market introduction and to secure market shares,
• and thereby to save existing jobs and create news jobs.

The four funding areas in detail: [...]

New chances will result from hydrogen energy technologies for which also 50 million DM will be provided derived from privatization proceeds.

The wide-spread application of renewable energies demands efficient energy conversion and storage technologies. The ambitious expectation in relation with advanced batteries have only partially been fulfilled so far. Therefore in the future, hydrogen as secondary energy storage medium will increasingly gain importance in demand oriented energy supply and especially also in the transport sector. Hydrogen can be used almost free of emissions for driving and heating purposes. Without combustion, in an electrochemical reaction hydrogen and oxygen can be converted directly and with high efficiencies into electricity and heat in fuel cells.

The Action Group Hydrogen Bavaria, constituted by representatives from business, science and the state government in 1995, stated that already today sufficient hydrogen is available in Bavaria. The group sees tangible market and export opportunities for hydrogen technologies, especially in the transport sector and in areas without centralized energy supply systems. Further export opportunities will arise from the growing requirement for emission reduction and efficiency increase.

Together with business we have established a coordination office for the hydrogen initiative Bavaria (Koordinationsstelle für die Wasserstoffinitiative Bayern - WIBA). Its tasks are the following:

• Coordination of the cooperation between business, science and administration,
• Promotion of technology transfer,
• Evaluation of the chances for realization and of the significance of model projects and development activities.

Also the industry advisory board to the Bavarian State Ministry of Economics, Transport and Technology as well as the scientific and technical advisory board to the State Government regard hydrogen energy technology as one of the future key technologies and export opportunities. Even if the wide-spread use of hydrogen energy technologies will probably not occur before the next 20 to 30 years, a new orientation has to be given today. There are growing indications that the technological development comes off faster than previously expected.

The competition for the leading position in hydrogen energy technologies has started. Daimler-Benz presumably will enter the market with fuel cell propelled series vehicles already by the year 2000. Japan, the USA and Canada have increased their funding for this technology enormously. Only for annual fuel cell funding some 73 million US$ are provided in the USA, some 65 million US$ in Japan. In Canada the company Ballard alone will receive more than 25 million US$ during the next five years.

Bavarian companies already today are strongly engaged in hydrogen energy technologies and dispose of a high level of know-how. This has to be extended and realized. Several projects are already on their way:

• A fuel cell city bus and a fuel cell co-generation plant at Nuremberg.
• A feasibility study has been carried out for the hydrogen project at the Munich airport. There the first publicly accessible and fully roboterized liquid hydrogen refueling station worldwide shall be realized. Furthermore, a hydrogen production plant and pressurized refueling station for the airport apron vehicles shall be installed. Here, hydrogen technology has to be proven under the high safety standards of an airport in everyday use. 13 million DM have already been reserved in the government budget. The decisions for funding are forwarded these days.
• The Bavarian-Canadian research projects "propagation of hydrogen explosion fronts" and characterization of natural gas/ hydrogen mixtures" have been funded within the framework of the cooperation between Bavaria and Québec.

Approximately 20 additional project ideas and applications are presently under evaluation: These include hydrogen production from biomass, improved processes for storage and refueling as well as utilization of advanced fuel cell concepts.

We make available 50 million DM (~ 29 million US$) in order to rapidly advance the most promising projects proposed by Bavarian enterprises. Among them are:

• Mobile refueling station for pressurized hydrogen
• Different vehicles with fuel cell propulsion and hub integrated electric motors, also for application in public transport
• Further development of liquid hydrogen storage tanks and storage concepts with metal hydrides
• Integrated biomass/ hydrogen project in the spa resort of Bad Brückenau (hydrogen generation in a biogas reactor; operation of a fuel cell for evironmentally benign supply of heat and electricity for the state spa resort). [...]

Furthermore, we presently evaluate the possibility to support with an initial financing a start-up center for energy technologies in Ottobrunn, South, which shall be borne by business and function as a supraregional project.