The research project focuses on the emergence of the German hydrogen economy and its global dimensions. The German hydrogen economy is a rewarding topic for at least two reasons. It has, on the one hand, the potential to complete the so-far primarily electricity-focused German energy transition. On the other hand, it holds the promise for an export-oriented industry for hydrogen technologies, which is why it is politically promoted and supported at various levels. Against the background of the dynamic developments in politics and industry as well as the commencing infrastructure construction, the planned project examines (a) the governance of the German hydrogen economy in the context of the energy transition, (b) the development of governance structures from the perspective of mission-oriented innovations systems, and (c) the role of state actors for the integration of domestic and foreign regions into global production networks for supplying hydrogen to the German market.
The project opens up a new research field for geography. For this purpose, we developed a research design that focuses on Northwest Germany because the development of supra-regional hydrogen infrastructures starts there and globally traded hydrogen will be imported via the region’s seaports. Grounded in our empirical results, our research makes the following theoretical contributions: First, we conceptualize the governance of the German energy transition in an international context from a global production networks perspective. To this end, we develop the concepts of strategic sector coupling and networks of lead firms to improve our understanding of the governance of sector coupling processes and the cooperation of lead firms in global hydrogen production networks. Second, we understand the German hydrogen economy as a mission-oriented innovation system. Thereby, we aim at improving our theoretical understanding of the governance of mission-oriented innovation systems by looking at the boundaries and inter-linkages of innovation systems in the course of their alignment with a mission. Third, we conceptualize the role of state actors, their goals and means in the strategic coupling of foreign regions into global (hydrogen) production networks. Fourth, and finally, the project contributes to transition research by exploring the hypothesis that the hydrogen-economy market ramp-up goes along with establishing a new paradigm of a climate-neutral economy in which industry, instead of resisting the defossilization of the energy system, is actively taking part in it.