H₂News: Mr. Rispens, what is the Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster?

Jan Rispens: At its core, the Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster is a platform for networking activities. With about 300 members, we are one of the most active energy networks in northern Germany. We facilitate collaboration between universities and companies on innovation-related issues, establish international contacts, and bring specific stakeholders together. We do this through a variety of event formats, ranging from small workshops to conferences with several hundred participants.

H₂News: When and how did you come to focus on the topic of hydrogen?

Rispens: This was a development that took place on several levels. Officially, we made hydrogen a priority in 2021, but the roots go back further. Starting in 2016, we began focusing intensively on the area of sector coupling. That was, in a sense, the preliminary stage. On the one hand, we already had members at that time for whom hydrogen was an issue; on the other hand, the decisive impetus came from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: It needed a solution for how the non-electrifiable sectors of its industrial and port facilities—which generate emissions that are difficult to avoid—could become climate-neutral. When the city approached us in 2021, we already had the structures and the network in place to develop the initiative quickly, rather than having to start from scratch.

H₂News: What makes Hamburg particularly unique from a structural standpoint as a hydrogen hub?

Rispens: What sets Hamburg apart structurally is its spatial density. Here, the entire value chain is concentrated in a small area. That’s not something to be taken for granted. Elsewhere, hydrogen infrastructure often develops where the producer and consumer are one and the same—as is the case with most large-scale electrolysis projects in Germany at refinery sites. Or the infrastructure must first be painstakingly brought together. In Hamburg, it’s different: Here, various producers serve an open ecosystem of diverse consumers. This is more complex from an organizational standpoint, but much more valuable strategically in the long term.

HH WIN Map: Hamburg Energy Networks (© Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster)

H₂News: You have about 300 members in your network. How many of them are from the hydrogen sector?

Rispens: We can't put an exact figure on that, since some companies operate in multiple sectors and aren't exclusively involved in hydrogen. However, we estimate that about one-third of our members are active in the hydrogen industry.

H₂News: You recently launched the “Localizer” hydrogen marketplace for the Hamburg metropolitan area. What’s the story behind it?

Rispens: Essentially, the Localizer is a digital extension of our core function. Often, companies or universities that could work well together simply aren’t aware of each other. On the hydrogen marketplace, companies can list their products, services, or needs and search for partners based on location. This makes it clear at a glance whether a company in the immediate vicinity offers exactly what’s being sought.

H₂News: What exactly can the Localizer do?

Rispens: The Localizer maps the entire value chain—from production through transportation and storage to applications. To enable targeted searches within this chain, we’ve integrated a range of filtering options. For example, you can search by purity levels, derivatives, or available space. Hydrogen-related services can also be entered. We wanted to create a tool that fully reflects the complexity of the hydrogen economy.

H₂News: Why did you deliberately design the Localizer to be regional?

Rispens:On the one hand, the shorter the transport distances, the cheaper the hydrogen becomes. So regional proximity always plays a role. On the other hand, we initially wanted to create an offering for our members and local stakeholders. However, the Localizer is also open to companies outside the metropolitan region that have—or want to develop—customer relationships in Hamburg.

H₂News: How has the Localizer been received so far?

Rispens:The initial response has been very positive. A number of companies have already registered, and we can see that there was a real need for this exact kind of tool. The platform is growing, and the more participants sign up, the more valuable the network becomes for everyone.

HGHH Groundbreaking Ceremony for 100 MW Electrolyzer (© Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster)

H₂News: In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the end of the hype—projects were shelved, and companies pulled out. What have you observed?

Rispens:This development is typical of innovation cycles. We’ve seen this in other technology fields. In the initial phase, people paint a grand vision, and many jump on board. Over time, the framework conditions become clearer, and only a small fraction of the projects are actually pursued. The wheat has been separated from the chaff, but the most important projects are moving forward. We’re currently in this phase. In Hamburg, we see that the ecosystem is developing well. The two key infrastructure projects—the100-MW electrolyzer at the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub (HGHH) in Moorburg and the Hamburg Hydrogen Industry Network (HH-WIN)—are under construction and will go into operation in 2027.

HH WIN Power Line Construction (© Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster)

H₂News: What did you do right that led to the start of construction on these two key projects?

Rispens:I would broaden the question a bit—it’s not just about what we as a cluster did right, but also about the city and our members. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg made the right decisions very early on and developed a vision. For example, it repurchased the Moorburg site from Vattenfall. The federal government and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg have provided a total of over 250 million euros in funding for the HGHH and HH-WIN . Our role was to effectively bring the various stakeholders together so that companies could find the right contacts, service providers, and research partners.

H₂News: What needs to happen to ensure that these projects don't remain isolated initiatives?

Rispens: Three things are crucial for this: connection to the core hydrogen grid, scaling up electrolysis capacity, and concrete off-take agreements. In Hamburg, we’re seeing concrete progress on all three fronts. The city is set to be connected to the core grid by 2028, which will significantly increase market liquidity. At the Moorburg site, the electrolysis plant can be expanded to up to 800 MW. And things are also moving on the customer side: Beiersdorf subsidiary Tesa has already registered for a connection to the industrial hydrogen grid. Others are still hesitating, as green hydrogen is currently three to five times more expensive than gray hydrogen.

H₂News: What is needed at the political and regulatory levels for the market to take off?

Rispens:There are two key factors here: First, the cost gap between green hydrogen and fossil hydrogen must be bridged. Tesa has addressed this through climate protection agreements. Without this operational support, hardly any industrial company will take the plunge.

H₂News: And the second point?

Rispens: The EU’s Delegated Act—that is, the criteria for procuring green electricity for hydrogen production—is massively overregulated for the current stage of the market. For example, the electricity may only come from new generation facilities. Yet many 20-year-old wind farms are still operating flawlessly, and the hydrogen produced from them would be significantly cheaper. Added to this is the hourly accounting requirement for electricity procurement, which takes effect in 2030. This forces electrolysis operators to enter into an enormous number of electricity supply contracts. The bottom line is that these rules make green hydrogen an estimated 50 percent more expensive than necessary.

H₂News: What is your message to policymakers?

Rispens: The most important thing is for policymakers to maintain a consistent course and leave no room for doubt. Investments in this market involve billions and span decades. If policymakers send even the slightest signal of indecision, these investments will not be made. That would be a self-fulfilling prophecy that we cannot afford.

H₂News: Thank you very much for the interview, Mr. Rispens!