H2Expo 2011 opened by Hamburg Economics Minister Frank Horch
Wednesday 08 June 2011By EU Reporter correspondent
H2Expo 2011 was opened this morning by Frank Horch, Hamburg’s Minister of Economics, Transport and Innovation.
The key subjects of the International Conference and Exhibition on Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Electric Drives are the applications of these technologies in shipping and aerospace, plus the necessary infrastructure, and electric vehicles.
Some 70 speakers from industry, research and government from 11 countries will inform conference participants today and tomorrow on the latest trends and developments. Leading companies and institutions will present their services and products in parallel to the conference.
The “Ride&Drive” area gives visitors a good look at various electric vehicles with fuel cell or battery drive, and hybrid vehicles, and even gives them a chance to take a test drive. Hamburg is currently the first German city to hold the title of European Green Capital, and is internationally a front runner in sustainable projects and events.
Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC): “H2Expo is making an important contribution to further expansion of forward looking energy and mobility technologies. For two days – today and tomorrow – H2Expo is a forum for intensive exchange of knowledge, for dialogue and for networking, with experts from Germany and abroad.
"We give developers, users and manufacturers a chance to present themselves, to provide information and hold discussions on their projects and products, and to generate new synergies. It has emerged in the past few days and weeks how urgent it is to find rapid solutions to work with the far-reaching decisions made by the Federal Government.”
Frank Horch, Hamburg Minister of Economics, Transport and Innovation: “We believe that renewable energies and environmental technologies are a field of future activity that is not only becoming increasingly relevant, but will also create sustainable, high-quality jobs here in Hamburg. We want to become an innovation capital for Europe. H2Expo is making an important contribution here for knowledge transfer within the research and scientific community, and in particular for exchange between the business community and scientists.”
Andreas Jung, Managing Director German Energy Agency (dena): “The energy turnaround launched by the Federal Government means we need to completely revamp our energy supply system. We have to improve our energy efficiency, to establish smart electricity systems, and to increase the use of renewables. That means we need innovative technologies for power supply and mobility. Hydrogen is an important option on the way to achieving that.”
Dr. Veit Steinle, Head of Department of Environmental Policy and Infrastructure at the Federal Transport Ministry: “The Federal Ministry of Transport promotes the whole bandwidth of electric vehicles. It is important that we take an approach that is open to different technologies for achievement of our goals. That includes hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in vehicles is a promising option for electric vehicles. Specifically German companies lead the way in this area. We need this technology, among other things as an alternative and complement to battery powered vehicles – for long distance, for large vehicles, and also for shipping and aviation.”
H2Expo – 8th International Conference and Exhibition on Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Electric Drives, takes place at the Hamburg Fair site on 8 and 9 June