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Author: Kerstin Reisch

REFORMERS Project Wins World Hydrogen Award in “Clean Hydrogen Project” Category

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STOFF2’s Zinc Intermediate Step Electrolysis Recognized for 24/7 Green Hydrogen Innovation

We are thrilled to announce that the REFORMERS project has been awarded the prestigious World Hydrogen Award in the category Clean Hydrogen Project. This award recognises the collaboration of 28 partners across 10 European countries united in their mission to develop Europe’s first Renewable Energy Valley in Alkmaar and Heiloo (Netherlands). It is the result of a comprehensive review of the project by a jury of experts and a vote by the global hydrogen community that gathered at the largest hydrogen conference in the world in Rotterdam.

As part of REFORMERS, STOFF2 will demonstrate its Zinc-Zwischenschritt Electrolysis (ZZE) technology at InVesta’s Center of Expertise in Alkmaar. This innovative electrolyser system stores renewable energy as solid zinc, allowing the production of green hydrogen continuously, even when renewable electricity is scarce. In doing so, STOFF2’s ZZE can relieve grid pressure, optimise energy usage, and ensure a 24/7 clean hydrogen supply.

Our partner technologies in the project, such as Hynoca’s® biomass-to-hydrogen process, complement this goal with a negative carbon hydrogen solution that fits very well within a resilient, decentralized energy system. Jointly, both technologies will supply hydrogen to local industrial users and refuelling stations, proving that clean, flexible, on-demand hydrogen production is a reality in 2026. The hydrogen will be used at a 350 and 700 bar hydrogen filling station in Alkmaar operated by NXT Mobility, directly linking innovation with practical application in mobility.

Sebastian Sipp (STOFF2, CEO): “Winning the World Hydrogen Award is a powerful validation of our approach. At STOFF2, we believe that green hydrogen must be both sustainable and reliable. With our Zinc-Zwischenschritt Electrolysis, we are showing that 24/7 on-demand green hydrogen supply is feasible, while at the same time mitigating pressure on the electricity grid. REFORMERS allows us to test and prove this in the real world.”

Bob Busser (Hynoca® by Haffner Energy / HyDevCo, managing director): “This award highlights the value of resilient hydrogen technologies for a net-zero industry. At Hynoca, we turn sustainable biomass into Low Carbon hydrogen. Thereby, our innovative technology requires only 25% of the electricity of an electrolyser while delivering considerable negative carbon emissions. In REFORMERS, we demonstrate how our solution can work at scale hand in hand with a range of partners and customers. Together with STOFF2, we offer a glimpse into a resilient renewable hydrogen future for Europe. 

Joep Sanderink (New Energy Coalition, Flagship Valley Coordinator): “REFORMERS represents the essence of European collaboration for a clean energy future. We are proud to coordinate this project and are deeply impressed by the technologies it brings together. STOFF2’s electrolyser and Hynoca’s biomass process are both highly flexible and sustainable—two core requirements for future energy systems. This award recognizes not only technological innovation, but also the strength of European cross-border cooperation.”

About REFORMERS (Regional Ecosystems FOR Multiple Energy Resilient Systems)
The Horizon Europe project REFORMERS is an innovation program aimed at supporting major energy hubs (‘energy valleys’) in Europe, where renewable energy is locally produced and consumed by citizens, light industry, and businesses. REFORMERS has a five-year duration.

Project Partners: AIT, Duurzaam Heiloo, CERTH, CIRCE, KONIN-MIASTO, DDS, EUREC, NAPE, RISE, TNO, Deep Blue, Municipality of Andorra (S), TU Delft, Municipality of Kozani (GR), Municipality of Murau (AT), Alliander, Municipality of Alkmaar, HVC, Hynoca Alkmaar, InVesta, Sustenso Boekelermeer, Repowered, Withthegrid, NXT MOBILITY, STOFF2, EMPA, VU Brussels (Project Coordinator), and New Energy Coalition (Flagship Valley Alkmaar Coordinator).

Strengthening Germany as an Industrial Leader – with Hydrogen Innovations “Made in Germany”

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Germany currently covers almost 80% of its primary energy consumption with fossil fuels. This high dependence on energy imports from politically unstable countries results in significant geopolitical risks for the economy. To maintain Germany as an industrial leader, this import dependency must be reduced and the resilience of the economy strengthened.

Germany is a technology leader in green hydrogen and electrolysis. By establishing an independent supply chain for green hydrogen, dependence on fossil resources can be reduced. The upcoming federal government should initiate specific measures to promote the industrial ramp-up of electrolyzer production. These include:

  • Continuation and strengthening of existing instruments such as GHG quotas in transport,
  • Introduction of a green gas quota, and
  • Creation of lead markets for products that require hydrogen in their production.

Electrolyzers “Made in Germany” can effectively contribute to the transformation of the industry and optimize the use of renewable energies like wind and sun. In addition to STOFF2, McPhy, Sunfire, and thyssenkrupp nucera are highly committed to this effort. You can find our detailed position paper here (in German only).

We love WasABi!

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The Federal Grid Regulator in Germany (BNetzA) is consulting on the hydrogen balancing mechanism for hydrogen grids “WasABi” for the second time until the end of February 2025. What sounds very dry at first glance has a major impact in practice on the ramp-up of the H2 economy and on the economic viability of future ZZE projects that feed hydrogen into the German H2 core grid. Following the current consultation, we expect a decision by the BNetzA that will provide orientation and planning security for all actors involved along the H2 value chain. 

In the electricity supply, there are already flexibility markets for different periods: primary and secondary control power as well as minute reserve. These markets are now very attractive, particularly due to the successful ramp-up of wind and solar energy, for example, battery storage systems that charge when electricity prices are low and provide electricity when electricity prices are high. The batteries – just like the Zinc-Zwischenschritt electrolysis (ZZE) in the future – thus make a significant contribution to the integration of renewable energies into an electricity system with a high level of supply security. 

The creation of a similar system is now planned for the future H2 core network, and that is exactly what WasABi is about. The aim is for all users of the H2 core network to be incentivized according to their abilities to support the overall system and maintain H2 supply security for all users of the infrastructure around the clock. 

Every 15 minutes, each balancing group records the amount of hydrogen fed in and fed out. Balancing is carried out continuously and does not have to be balanced every 15 minutes by the actors involved. The sum of all balancing groups is calculated for the entire H2 core grid. The network status is determined according to the current deviations and those expected in the coming hour as well as the pre-defined technical limits of the H2 core grid: 

  • Green: No activities required. All H2 producers and H2 customers can use the network without restrictions, even if their balancing group is not balanced. 
  • Yellow: Compensation measures are being taken to bring the entire network back into the green zone as quickly as possible. To do this, the balancing groups are first divided: on the one hand, balancing groups that support the network (“helpers”), and on the other hand, balancing groups that burden the network and have led to the jump into the yellow phase (“causers”). The “causers” must pay a compensation payment for the deviation in their balancing group, and the “helpers” are financially rewarded for their behaviour. 
  • Red: Immediate initiation of compensatory measures up to and including shutdown of H2 customers by network operators. 

What does this mean specifically for STOFF2 customers? The ZZE produces green hydrogen and, thanks to its high flexibility, can simultaneously bid on the flexibility markets for electricity and gas. We assume that this will enable additional revenues that will significantly improve profitability for our customers. WasABi is now creating the legal framework for a flexibility market in the H2 core network, which our flexible Zinc-Zwischenschritt electrolysis can perfectly serve. This means that our ZZE plants can respond particularly well to the demand of H2 users. This means that our customers’ balance sheet is balanced and there is no threat of compensation payments. In addition, the ZZE plants can effectively support the entire network as “helpers” in the yellow and red phases and thus generate attractive additional revenues beyond the pure delivery of green hydrogen. 

Future called, said it’s great!

STOFF2 and iFAKT are working on building a lean, digital manufacturing process

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Lars Schubert heads the software and consulting company iFAKT. The Industry 4.0 software controls logistics, production and business processes and can make predictions using artificial intelligence. Uwe Winter is responsible for operations at STOFF2 and, thus, for ramping up production capacities for Zink-Zwischenschritt electrolysis. We met the two of them with their team colleagues after a two-day workshop in our office in Berlin-Tegel and asked them:

What is STOFF2’s goal when planning production?

Uwe Winter: Our strategy is to use the value stream method to plan our manufacturing process to create a digital twin of our production. In this digital twin, we can virtually optimise our production to be “lean” from the outset. Changes to the design or the make-or-buy strategy can be checked directly in the digital twin for their impact on production, thus making decision-making and subsequent implementation easier.

How does the iFAKT STOFF2 offering help in the planning phase?

Uwe Winter: The Polaris software supports us by recording and visualising data and enabling us to evaluate the production simulation in different scenarios in the planning phase. The digital twin created in Polaris becomes the basis for the detailed operational planning of our production capacity and resource planning and adjustment based on honest feedback from production. This feedback in operations enables us to identify and resolve weak points. In this way, we ensure that we optimally use our resources in the long term and supply our customers with high delivery reliability and quality.

Why should start-ups deal with processes at an early stage?

Lars Schubert: The company and production process are decisive in achieving margins and reliability. If the process is poorly designed, you pay a high price with every product sold—and often over the entire product life. The more that is sold, the worse it gets! Therefore, the initial effort to introduce our software has paid off many times.

What have you taken away from your collaboration with STOFF2 so far?

Lars Schubert: We really appreciate the collaboration because we have a similar approach: pragmatic, open, and innovative. However, working with start-ups is atypical, as our “usual” customers tend to be corporations or large, medium-sized companies with established structures. In short, it’s very refreshing!

Thank you very much for the interview!

STOFF2 receives a prestigious award as “Electrolyzer For Green Hydrogen Company of the Year in Europe 2024” 

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Great success for STOFF2: The company has been named “Electrolyzer for Green Hydrogen Company of the Year in Europe 2024” by Energy Business Review. Energy Business Review is a print and digital magazine that focuses on comprehensive coverage of the energy industry. The magazine offers insights into technological innovations and solutions and is aimed at decision-makers and professionals in the energy sector. 

“This award is an important step on our way to making green hydrogen marketable on a large scale,” emphasizes Sebastian Sipp, Managing Director of STOFF2. 

Our innovative zinc intermediate step electrolysis from STOFF2 makes it possible to rely entirely on renewable energies in all sectors. We use particularly cheap green electricity and store it efficiently in the form of zinc. This stored energy can be released at any time in the form of green hydrogen, exactly when it is needed. In this way, we are creating a reliable and sustainable solution for energy supply that responds flexibly to demand and can replace fossil fuels. 

The award gives us additional momentum in the market launch of this groundbreaking ZZE technology. STOFF2’s goal is to use this innovative solution to replace fossil fuels in the long term and thus pave the way for a sustainable energy future. The award underlines STOFF2’s leading role in the hydrogen economy and the importance of our technology for a successful energy transition.

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A successful ramp-up of the hydrogen economy must create H2 security of supply – but how exactly?

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The use of hydrogen is not just a trend but a crucial tool in the implementation of national CO2 reduction targets and the fulfilment of European and international climate protection agreements. This recognition by politicians is a significant step. The revised national hydrogen strategy in the summer of 2023 and the agreement on the H2 core network laid the foundation for transforming the gas supply in collaboration with the gas industry. In addition, the law on municipal heat planning passed by the Bundestag at the end of 2023 and the gas network area transformation plans (GTP) initiated by the gas industry form the first essential basis for planning security for all players along the energy supply value chain.

At the same time, it is still unclear how H2 security of supply will be organised on a market basis in the emerging H2 network. The landscape of actors is diverse: On the one hand, there are H2 producers who provide green H2 from fluctuating wind and PV power, and in the future, H2 producers of blue hydrogen, for example, in Norway. On the other hand, there are H2 customers with relatively constant demand, such as industry and commerce, those with seasonally fluctuating demand, such as heat customers, and customers with high H2 demand precisely when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining, such as H2 backup power plants. In addition, depending on requirements and with different lead times, investments can be made in other storage technologies – from decentralised energy storage to H2 caverns.

For the future H2 market design, we propose a non-discriminatory market environment that allows all technically available solutions to make their best possible contribution to H2 supply security. This approach, called the 3-stage model, ensures fairness and effectiveness in the upcoming H2 market.

Level1 „Foundation of the market“ 2 „Market ramp-up“3 „Liquid market “
1 supplier2 to X suppliers / customers>X suppliers / customers
H2 SupplyContract between H2 supplier and H2 customer, hourly balancingContract between H2 supplier and H2 customer, 6h balancing
H2 Balancing MarketTender of H2 grid operator to balance H2 supply and H2 demand on an hourly basis *
H2 Network ServicesH2 grid operator tenders first H2 filling of the H2 gas gridH2 grid operator tenders’ services to stabilise pressure within the grid*
* Potential participants of the tender: H2 supplier, H2 storage, H2 customers

With this first approach, we invite all interested stakeholders and interest groups to develop our idea further or to bring alternative ideas into the specialist discussion that is now beginning. How can we best use the flexibility potential of H2 suppliers, H2 storage facilities and H2 customers? What can we learn from the rules of the electricity and natural gas market? How do we deal with the initially low liquidity in the future H2 flexibility market? All this needs to be clarified together; we look forward to the debate.

Zinc intermediate step electrolysis from STOFF2 becomes part of the innovative “Hydrogen Terminal Braunschweig” research project

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  • STOFF2 and Steinbeis Innovation Centre energieplus in Braunschweig launch a pioneering collaboration
  • As part of the “Hydrogen Terminal Braunschweig” research project, the partners intend to build and operate an electrolyzer produced by STOFF2 

Berlin, 30 July 2024: STOFF2 has developed a technology that combines the functions of a battery and an electrolyser in a single system, the Zinc intermediate step electrolysis (ZZE). STOFF2’s technology addresses both the sustainable and efficient production of green hydrogen and the optimal use of fluctuating renewable energies made available for all sectors.

The “Hydrogen Terminal Braunschweig” research project was launched in 2020 by Steinbeis Innovation Centre energieplus (SIZ) and the Technical University of Braunschweig. In particular, it aims to pool expertise along the H2 value chain and to realise important research projects in this area. 

First application of the zinc intermediate step electrolysis in an industrial environment

Participation in the “Hydrogen Terminal Braunschweig” project is an important milestone for STOFF2, as its ZZE is to be installed in an industrial environment for the first time worldwide. STOFF2 will be responsible for the technical design of the for the research project at SIZ. In particular, this will involve the interaction of the ZZE electrolyzer with the existing power and H2 infrastructure on site. In a second step, the project partners intend to commission the designed STOFF2 electrolyzer on site.

Utilisation of green hydrogen for heavy-duty mobility and testing environment

The green hydrogen will be produced on site with electrolyzers from STOFF2 as well as Enapter and a ZZE electrolyzer. The produced GH2 will be used in test benches for research work as well as injected into the local H2 gas network to supply other external consumers such as the Fraunhofer Project Centre for Energy Storage and Systems (Fraunhofer ZESS) and the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Automotive Engineering (NFF). At the “Hydrogen Terminal Braunschweig” site, the hydrogen produced is also used to operate a hydrogen refuelling station for heavy goods vehicles with the support of a compressor from Maximator. 

Forward-looking cooperation

With this joint project, STOFF2 and SIZ energieplus are taking an important step towards the further development and implementation of advanced energy technologies. 

“We are excited to start driving innovation in this partnership and look forward to contributing our highly innovative technology to this pioneering project,” says Sebastian Sipp, Managing Director of STOFF2.

“With the zinc intermediate step electrolysis, we will open up completely new possibilities to enable optimization modes of operation utilizing fluctuating renewable energies to secure continuous supply of green hydrogen,” says David Sauss, Scientific Director of SIZ energieplus.

Further information can be found at: www.stoff2.com 

Press contact:

STOFF2 GmbH

Timo Bovi

Phone: +49 30-5200057806

Mobile: +49 177-8830622 
E-mail:  

STOFF2 at GREENTECH FESTIVAL: With 14,000 visitors a complete success

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On 16 and 17, The GREENTECH FESTIVAL took place at the Berlin exhibition grounds, where everything was about decarbonizing the economy. With an impressive 14,000 visitors, 200 exhibitors, and 350 speakers spread across 4 halls and 6 stages, the festival was a hotspot for innovation and sustainability. And in the middle of the story: STOFF2, present in the dynamic START-UP area.

A particular highlight was the visit of Dr. Franziska Brantner, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. She showed great interest in STOFF2’s innovative technology. 

“What is particularly new to this technology?” the Secretary of State asked. Sebastian Sipp, CEO of STOFF2, said: “The zinc intermediate step electrolysis allows energy storage and hydrogen production in one device. As a result, renewable energy can be stored if it is available in excess and inexpensive, which reduces the price for green hydrogen.

STOFF2’s participation in the GREENTECH FESTIVAL was a great success. The opportunity to present our innovative Zinc Zwischenschritt Electrolyzer (ZZE)to a wide and interested audience has shown us that the industry is ready for new technologies. We thank all visitors at our stand for their great interest and for their many valuable questions and suggestions. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this event such an inspiring experience!

Implementation of §13k EnWG “Switchable loads” for the energy transition?

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§13k in the EnWG was passed in the Bundestag in autumn 2023. This paragraph has the great potential to translate the economic benefits of sector coupling technologies into concrete investments. We are also committed to this. The core idea of the paragraph is to make otherwise curtailed renewable electricity usable for other sectors such as hydrogen.

With the current implementation proposal from the transmission system operators, only projects that will be built anyway will be able to tap into a small additional source of income. However, from our point of view no new projects are being constructed because of §13k. Therefore, the sector coupling technologies continue to remain far behind their potential. In our view, the proposed implementation contradicts the Bundestag’s intention in its decision last autumn, and we hope for a better implementation.

Here is our detailed positioning on the current debate.

EU Commissioner for Climate Protection Wopke Hoekstra visits STOFF2 – What a day!

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“It’s very good to be back in Berlin,” says Wopke Hoekstra during his visit to the Urban Tech Republic | Berlin TXL last Friday. “What you are doing here is the future. I look forward to hearing about your experiences and what Europe can learn to provide the best possible support.” The overarching goal is clear: “We want to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent. “Fossil energies must finally become history,” said Hoekstra. “We work on that here every day,” confirmed Nora Oberlaender.

Our co-founder and advisory board member, Alexander Voigt presented the developments in HH2E’s large hydrogen projects in Lubmin and Tierbach. Christian Friebe explained how our innovative electrolyser will make green hydrogen significantly cheaper. Our first EU-funded field test in Alkmaar as part of the REFORMERS project also shows how our technology creates added value in a decentralised manner.

After a tour of the .GUT Am Flughafen 1 community, the EU Commissioner could directly experience our prototype and discuss it with our CTO, Andrew Zwinkels.

“Success depends on public and private collaboration.” This is the common conclusion after the exchange. We can only confirm this as a privately financed start-up with many tailwinds from public funding from BMBZ, BMWK and the EU. It also shows that, despite all the debates, the EU Commission is firmly behind the CO2 reduction targets. At the national level, politicians are now faced with translating the implementation of the RED3 targets to ramp up hydrogen into practice. Planning security is created primarily due to the stringent and binding EU policy. Particularly relevant for EU Commissioner Hökstra was Europe’s economic resilience and solid domestic industry in producing electrolysers and other climate protection technologies and infrastructure.

As a farewell, Hoekstra gave the .GUT Am Flughafen 1 community the following message: “There is only one group of people who are not enthusiastic about Germany: The Germans. I would encourage you to be proud of yourself!”

Thank you very much for the time you took for us and the Urban Tech Republic!