During a press conference to mark the launch, the alliance made an appeal for government support to help Germany compete internationally in fuel cell research, development and production. It claims that German industry is close to opening up production lines for the manufacture of stationary fuel cells for industrial use. Companies and research institutes are also developing the technology for cars, household energy and portable devices and equipment, with DaimlerChrysler already embarked on an ambitious FCV program. However, stationary fuel cell development is widely considered to be an important precursor to the establishment of a hydrogen infrastructure capable of supporting volume sales of FCVs.
According to BZB, Germany could create stationary plants of a total capacity of 15 MWe a year from 2006 -and annual electrical output could be boosted to around 1300 MWe by 2015 -if the industry received the requisite political support. Such support could take the form of state grants, tax advantages and guaranteed rates for electricity produced by fuel cells, BZB said in a statement. National budgets for R&D and field tests also need to be enhanced, and improved German presence in EU projects.
BZB highlighted the examples of Japan and the US, where governments have invested particularly heavily in R&D and commercialization initiatives. Japan estimates that it will have stationary plants with a total power of 2.1 GWe and 50 000 FCVs by 2010.
'Fuel cells will definitely come,' says Johannes Schiel of the VDMA engineering association, an initiator of the BZB. 'If they are not made in Germany, they will come to Germany. Politics and industry need to work together on this issue.'