Dr. Kai Holtappels, Head of Division Constructive Fire and Explosion Safety for Gases, Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)
Source: BAM, Michael Danner
Dr. Kai Holtappels from the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) coordinates the "Safety and Acceptance" cluster in the new hydrogen research network of the Federal Government. The network is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Education and Research are also involved. Today, Wednesday, the more than 100 members of the cluster will meet for a digital kick-off event.
Hydrogen is a key element in the energy transition. With its National Hydrogen Strategy, the German government aims to secure a global leadership role for Germany in the field of advanced hydrogen technologies.
Part of the strategy is also the establishment of a new hydrogen research network, which began its work in September 2020. It is intended to serve as an open expert forum for networking and professional exchange between industry, universities and research institutes, to provide suggestions for research into and application of hydrogen technologies along the entire value chain, and to formulate recommendations on the direction of the German government's research funding.
More than 1,100 members already belong to the new research network, which is divided into four thematic clusters: Generation, Infrastructure, Utilization, and Safety and Acceptance.
The spokesman for the Safety and Acceptance cluster is Kai Holtappels from the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM). The cluster will look in particular at safety aspects of components and systems, from generation to storage and transport to the use of hydrogen. It will also deal with internationally uniform norms, standards and test guidelines.
"I am very excited about the new task in the hydrogen research network," says Kai Holtappels. "Safety and acceptance are crucial cross-cutting issues in hydrogen technology. With our work, we want to provide important impetus for a rapid market ramp-up."
"Hydrogen technology is central to the success of the energy transition," said BAM President Prof. Dr. Ulrich Panne. "With our research in this field, we are creating confidence in the new technology. Safety is a basic prerequisite for its acceptance."
BAM, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, has been conducting intensive research on hydrogen for some time. In September 2020, it bundled its broad expertise in this field to form a competence center H2Safety@BAM. The focus of the work is always on the aspect of safety. Holtappels is one of the spokespersons for the competence center.
More about hydrogen research at BAM can be found here.