Online marketplace brings together supply and demand

Like a dating site, the international hydrogen marketplace Localiser has been connecting the players in the hydrogen value chain for two years. Around 500 companies have been registered so far. The marketplace now also includes other European countries.

Hydrogen is considered an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels and plays an important role in decarbonizing industrial processes, storing renewable energy and promoting climate-neutral transportation. In updating its hydrogen strategy, the federal government assumes that the demand for hydrogen will increase to 95 to 130 TWh annually by 2030, mainly due to changes in industry and transport. The hydrogen economy is developing dynamically, but the question arises as to how the demand for hydrogen can be met.

The company Localiser RLI GmbH has on behalf of the ministry of economic affairs, labor and energy of the German state of Brandenburg and the Berlin senate department for economics, energy and enterprises developed the Wasserstoffmarktplatz (hydrogen marketplace). It was created as part of the development of the hydrogen roadmap for Brandenburg and the capital region. This free platform enables all players along the entire hydrogen value chain to network internationally. The hydrogen supply and demand is shown geo-referenced on maps. This makes searching for and offering hydrogen much easier.

“The new marketplace makes the potential of the hydrogen economy visible and quickly brings together players along the entire value chain. Such an instrument has been missing so far and is unique in the country,” stated Kathrin Goldammer, managing director of Localiser RLI GmbH. Together with Oliver Arnhold, she leads the company.

The platform went online at the end of March 2022, and by April 2024, around 500 companies were registered on the hydrogen marketplace.

The hydrogen marketplace is expanding
Six months after release of the platform, Localiser expanded the area of the watering hole that is the hydrogen marketplace. The Wasserstoffmarktplatz, which was initially only available in Berlin and Brandenburg, has been expanded to cover all of Germany, so hydrogen requests and offers from all of the German states can now be entered free of charge. Oliver Arnhold, managing director of Localiser, states, “We noticed the exponential growth in hydrogen demand throughout Germany and saw the hydrogen marketplace as the perfect solution for nationally networking hydrogen players.”

Due to the positive feedback from Germany, Localiser RLI GmbH decided, in partnership with the project HyTruck, to also offer the hydrogen marketplace internationally. The platform will be gradually expanded to cover all of Europe and will later be able to display global hydrogen supply and demand geo-referenced. The hydrogen marketplace is currently available in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Other countries will follow soon.

Use of the hydrogen marketplace is free of charge. Players in the hydrogen economy can register via the website of the company Localiser (localiser.de). After completing the form, you will receive an e-mail with a link to register in the app. Clicking on the link will take you to a subpage of the app where you will need to enter your details and create a user account. After logging in, users have access to their project.

The platform enables the visualization of many data sets, from renewable energies to infrastructure (roads, rail, grid and gas) and CO₂ emissions. It also automatically suggests possible partner companies. In addition, the hydrogen marketplace provides an overview of the status of the infrastructure, including hydrogen refueling stations and future pipelines. This gives users comprehensive insight into the local hydrogen market.

The hydrogen marketplace is being continuously expanded and improved by Localiser RLI GmbH. In September 2023, the new matching function was introduced. This function automatically suggests potential business partners for each hydrogen player, making networking much easier. The marketplace provides an overview of all hydrogen offers and requests. It is possible to filter according to specific criteria such as company, category and project status. Clicking on a result opens a chat window that allows registered users to directly contact other companies. A summary of all matches can also be viewed in this overview. The marketplace can also be integrated on other websites as a white label.

Oliver Arnhold and Kathrin Goldammer have set up the hydrogen marketplace, Source: Reiner Lemoine Institut

Register at www.localiser.de/en/wasserstoff-infrastruktur-planen