From Optionality to Outcome: How Germany Can Reset Hydrogen Without Losing Face - CleanTechnica

The article discusses Germany’s current hydrogen infrastructure situation, highlighting that while a pressurized hydrogen backbone is physically complete, it remains operationally unused with no credible near-term plans to activate it. Major industrial players have indicated that hydrogen’s role in transportation and heating has effectively stalled, shifting the debate from theoretical potential to practical next steps. Policymakers must now focus on protecting households, maintaining industrial competitiveness, and achieving emissions reductions cost-effectively, recognizing that energy infrastructure and industrial policy decisions are national responsibilities. The author, writing from an external perspective, emphasizes the need for Germany to move beyond “hydrogen maximalism” and instead narrow its focus, exercise discipline, and accelerate electrification where it is most effective. Transparent and consistent communication will be crucial in managing this strategic reset without causing defensiveness among stakeholders invested in the hydrogen narrative. The article contextualizes past decisions to preserve hydrogen options as reasonable responses to the 2022 energy crisis and supply uncertainties, but stresses that optionality must now transition to a decision