Large expert workshop held in Stralsund on 11 September 2018

On 11 September, roughly 70 repre­sen­ta­tives of science, industry and poli­tics discussed the use of new tech­no­lo­gies for the marine mobi­lity tran­si­tion in the Northeast region of Germany. The work­shop was the high­light of the seven-month concept phase of the CAMPFIRE rese­arch project and confirmed that the project enjoys strong support in the region.

Chris­tian Pegel, the State Minister for Energy, Infra­struc­ture and Digi­ta­li­sa­tion, welcomed the parti­ci­pants with a virtual gree­ting and empha­sised his view that the rese­arch project offers a great oppor­tu­nity for the state to create regional added value in two key fields – rene­wable energy and the mari­time economy – and to increase public accep­tance of the energy transition.

The goal of the project is to use inno­va­tive membrane compon­ents to help new energy tech­no­lo­gies achieve an economic breakth­rough in the project period, which includes a five-year imple­men­ta­tion phase and conti­nues until 2030. In addi­tion, parti­ci­pants aim to develop two new types of ship propul­sion systems that are powered by green energy sources, such as ammonia and hydrogen. These can be produced in a climate-friendly way from locally gene­rated wind power and repre­sent a first step towards regional sector coupling.

Further high­lights of the work­shop included gree­tings from Heino Tanschus, head of the Ordnungsamt and second deputy of the mayor of the Hanseatic City of Stral­sund, and from

Dr Stefan Fass­binder, mayor of the Hanseatic City of Greifs­wald. ‘The energy tran­si­tion and a zero-emis­sion Baltic Sea are issues of great importance for our region,’ Fass­binder said. Tanschus expressed his hope that the results of CAMPFIRE rese­arch would streng­then the repu­ta­tion of the Hanseatic cities as centres of rese­arch and industry and create new highly skilled jobs in the region.

Jorgo Chat­zi­markakis, secre­tary general of Hydrogen Europe, gave a presen­ta­tion from Brussels on Power-to‑X processes and the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. ‘Compa­nies across Europe are working on a network for hydrogen mobi­lity in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agree­ment’, said Chat­zi­markakis. ‘Meck­len­burg-West Pome­rania is unique because of its considerable wind power capa­city. Thanks to its geogra­phical loca­tion, the state is in an ideal posi­tion to build a bridge between Central Europe and the neigh­bou­ring count­ries on the Baltic Sea.’

The work­shop affirmed that we are heading into the last 1.5 months of the concept phase with great regional support and a broad-based consor­tium of 26 part­ners, inclu­ding nine small and medium-sized enter­prises (SMEs), five large compa­nies, six rese­arch insti­tutes and four univer­si­ties. In these last weeks of the concept phase, we will fina­lise the full proposal and prepare it for submis­sion to the Federal Ministry of Educa­tion and Rese­arch (BMBF) on 31 October 2018.