In two live talks, ten experts from politics and business discussed hydrogen as part of the energy transition. For an efficient and high-performance hydrogen economy, the general tenor of the rounds was that strategies and solution approaches at European, national and regional level must interlock and complement each other. The European Commission had dedicated its own strategies to hydrogen and the associated sector coupling, the German government has also presented a national hydrogen strategy and there are also numerous projects and initiatives in Lower Saxony.

Lower Saxony's Environment and Energy Minister Olaf Lies and Lower Saxony's European Affairs Minister Birgit Honé, together with Florian Ermacora (EU Commission), Ulrich Benterbusch (BMWi), Dr Jens Sprotte (Alstom) and Tim Meyerjürgens (TenneT), discussed a sensible dovetailing of those hydrogen activities under the guiding question "How do we get from the real laboratory to the market ramp-up?

In the second talk, Ulf-Birger Franz, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs and Transport of the Hannover Region, Doris Petersen (hannoverimpuls Economic Development), Jens Asmuth (JA-Gastechnology) and Arne Stecher (Holcim), together with Environment Minister Lies, used the example of the Hannover Region conurbation to discuss the potential also offered by small and medium-sized businesses and how local leaders envisage promoting the development of a hydrogen economy locally.

A video recording of the event is available at the following address.