The Renewable Energies Cluster Blog: About offshore wind and hydrogen control projects

cruh21 supports cities and companies in the fields of offshore wind, hydrogen, and sector coupling. Additionally, it plays key roles in the hydrogen lead projects H2Mare and TransHyDE. In an interview, CEO Jimmie Langham reveals the current status and future scenarios of these projects to Astri Dose, Renewables Energies Cluster Agency Hamburg.

cruh21 has been a member of EEHH for quite some time now. Who are you, and where do you come from?

Originally, we emerged three and a half years ago from the AquaVentus initiative, which I co-founded during my time at RWE Offshore. We started as an office and have established ourselves in the market as an independent consulting firm on hydrogen and sector coupling.

And what exactly do you do?

We are somewhat of a boutique. After Dr. Ursula Prall and Meiko Neumann, two old hands in offshore, joined the management team, offshore wind naturally remains one of our main topics. Meiko's extensive experience is particularly in demand in the area of bidding strategies. Ursula is the recognized expert in offshore regulation, so her team handles several offshore wind permitting processes.

And the big topic of hydrogen?

That is our main focus. We see ourselves as strategic project consultants, not only for hydrogen but generally for sector coupling and renewable energies. For example, we have developed hydrogen strategies for Rügen-Stralsund and Cuxhaven and are currently working on similar topics for other regions. At the same time, we also advise on a corporate level. We support clients in large electrolysis projects, for example in Lubmin, where PtX Development plans a 1 GW capacity. Ultimately, we can now cover the entire value chain from strategy, regulation, and policy, permitting management, feasibility studies, to owner’s engineering.

That's a lot for a relatively small team, isn't it?

We currently have 17 permanent consultants, plus seven working students whom we actively involve in project work. But yes, for the entire breadth we are naturally too few. For almost a year, we have been part of Drees & Sommer. They originally come from the construction and real estate sector but have massively broadened thematically in recent years. The collaboration with around 6,000 colleagues worldwide has given us an incredible boost. We work closely with their hydrogen experts as a "hydrogen core team" in projects, which brings us additional technical competence. Moreover, we are jointly developing exciting service offerings, such as permitting management and AI-based site identification.

AI-based site identification sounds exciting. What’s behind it?

Here we work closely with Deeeper Technology, a cool startup from Rostock. With their AI, they can overlay and extensively analyze various geobased data such as satellite images and infrastructure data. We started this together as a test for hydrogen filling stations and quickly realized the potential when we combine our data sources and expertise with their tools and knowledge. The colleagues could already conduct inventory and potential analyses for renewable energies, but together we are now evaluating the optimal locations for electrolyzers, hydrogen power plants, filling stations, but also data centers and other energy-intensive applications nationwide.

You mentioned the hydrogen lead projects earlier. What’s behind them?

The hydrogen lead projects are three major research projects for which the Federal Ministry of Education and Research provided nearly 700 million euros shortly after the publication of the National Hydrogen Strategy. H2Giga deals with the upscaling and optimization of electrolysis. H2Mare focuses on offshore hydrogen production, and TransHyDE on infrastructure. We are active in H2Mare but mainly in TransHyDE. Here, together with Prof. Mario Ragwitz from Fraunhofer IEG and Prof. Robert Schlögl, then at the Max Planck Society and now president of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, I am one of the overall coordinators responsible for industry and implementation.

What exactly does TransHyDE do?

TransHyDE is a research network in which more than 100 companies, associations, and research institutions have joined forces since 2021 to research and pilot a future necessary hydrogen infrastructure. Topics include a comprehensive system analysis, ammonia, pipelines, liquid hydrogen, LOHC, but also more abstract topics such as regulation, standards, and safety. Companies from Hamburg, such as HHLA, are also involved.

The project officially ends in 2025. Should it continue?

After four years, it would officially end in late 2025. Sending everyone home would be extremely unwise. It is no coincidence that the continuation of TransHyDE is one of the recommendations of the revised National Hydrogen Strategy. Besides the project's reputation and ongoing research, a community has developed that works together in a network of trust. This needs to continue. When conceptualizing TransHyDE 2.0, as we call it, it was clear from the start that research would take a back seat, and the implementation aspect would gain significantly more weight. The time of basic research and demonstrators is over. We need to scale up to industrial standards!

What does that mean in concrete terms?

This means that TransHyDE 2.0 will consist of six implementation pillars targeting large hydrogen logistics hubs, ammonia supply chains, and liquid hydrogen terminals, among others, aiming at large industrial programs up to 2040. TransHyDE 2.0 will ensure targeted accompanying research and a coordinated and networked approach. The goal is to generate maximum synergies and added value for all stakeholders and to specifically integrate missing components and actors.

That sounds big. How will you finance it?

We quickly realized that the funds for this project cannot come from a single ministry's budget, especially not in the current budget situation. Therefore, at the end of the year, we decided to establish a TransHyDE 2.0 initiative in the form of a funding association. This should ensure continuity and a certain independence in the second phase. With this initiative, we can begin to support the financing of individual programs and subprojects. Business’s own funds must be combined with funding from various sources, research needs must be formulated specifically, synergies utilized, and suitable partners brought together. Incidentally, Hamburg plays an important role in these programs due to its unique starting position in various fields.

Exciting. What is the concrete timeline?

With the former hydrogen commissioner and current member of parliament Dr. Stefan Kaufmann, we have an ideal candidate for the first chair. We are currently holding further talks with potential founding members and candidates for the board. At the same time, we are working on a statute and rules of procedure. This is not easy because on the one hand, you have to promote cooperation, and on the other hand, you have to maintain the actors' economic independence. The plan is to hold a founding meeting in December. We hope not only to win back the previous TransHyDE members but also to attract new interested parties to the future infrastructure topic.

cruh21 thanks the author Astrid Dose: "Talking, writing, and organizing – and with a lot of fun! That's what my days at the EEHH cluster look like. Since 2011, I have been responsible for the public relations and marketing of the Hamburg industry network. I am a historian and Anglicist by training, with a great passion for technical topics."