CUR - The Council on Undergraduate Research

Germany’s Transition to Hydrogen Energy in Heavy Industry Sectors

Olja Kovacevic, Department of International Business, University of Colorado Denver, 1201 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80204

Heavy industry emissions from fossil fuel energy sources are a topic of debate internationally. Many countries and organizations as a result have begun to restructure their dependence on these energy forms and transition into forms of renewable energy. The heavy industries examined in this project include heavy transportation, metal production, cement production, chemical production, and machinery manufacturing. Countries and companies around the world are investing in hydrogen renewables as industrial fuel to shift toward carbon-free energy. Germany has assumed a leadership role in the energy transition to hydrogen. Their National Hydrogen Strategy, approved in June of 2020, sets out a model for a transition away from fossil fuels and toward hydrogen energy dubbing it “tomorrow’s oil.” Employing a literary analysis, this project examines hydrogen renewable energy implementations and investments in heavy industry sectors internationally, with a focus on Germany. Hydrogen as an energy source has the ability to shift dependence on fossil fuels and provide a cleaner, more accessible form of energy globally. Hydrogen also presents the opportunity to reduce stubborn emissions in heavy industry which contributes to a large portion of carbon emissions on a global scale. In its next iteration, this project will research countries whose economies rely on heavy industries and for whom a shift to hydrogen energy is feasible.  

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