In one of its final pieces of legislation, the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to polish its uninspiring climate credentials with the surprise announcement in May that it wants to make Germany carbon neutral by 2045 — five years earlier than planned. Apart from the usual underpinnings of a decarbonization plan, like boosting e-mobility, Berlin considers hydrogen to be a central element in the transformation. Merkel’s government presented a National Hydrogen Strategy back in June 2020, claiming to make “climate protection possible in sectors where it’s difficult,” such as steelmaking, manufacturing, aviation and heavy-duty transport on ships, railways and trucks. There, carbon …
