The Fuel Cell Initiative (IBZ) has given itself a new organizational structure, in order to take account of the further development of the market and the associated new tasks.
This was shared by the Managing Director of the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH), Andreas Lücke and Dr. Timm Kehler, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zukunft Erdgas (Future of Gas), who participated in the German Heat Conference in Berlin. In future, both will also act as spokespersons for the IBZ.
Fuel Cell Initiative (IBZ)
The Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH) will lead the political work of the IBZ in the future
“The introduction of the technology introduction program for fuel cell heating in 2016 was a milestone. The program has been very well received by the market. This is shown by the number of units in the first funding period, as the planned sales were achieved with over 1500 units in 2017,” said Andreas Lücke, describing the other tasks.
Andreas Lücke adds, “It is now important to build on this and ensure that the fuel cell will continue to receive good funding conditions after 2018.” The Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH) will lead the political work of the Fuel Cell Initiative (IBZ) in the future.
“The fuel cell initiative has achieved remarkable things. The preparation for the market launch has been completed. Now the focus is shifting from technological development and the pilot phase to coordinated market development with an efficient communication offensive,” explains Timm Kehler. The future of natural gas will be responsible for market communication at IBZ.
BDH - Zukunft Erdgas association agreement
The new organizational structure of the Fuel Cell Initiative (IBZ) is the subject of an association agreement between BDH and Zukunft Erdgas. The German Gas and Water Association (DVGW) and the National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) are also involved as cooperation partners.
The foundation for the realignment was laid by the members of the IBZ in March 2017 with the aim of using the established structures of the associations to efficiently integrate as many players as possible in the gas industry and the equipment industry. Numerous companies had cooperated in the IBZ since 2001, in order to bring the stationary fuel cell to market maturity. Six device manufacturers have recently been involved exhibitors in the IBZ: SenerTec, Bosch, SOLIDpower, Vaillant, Viessmann and Elcore.