10 Jan 2023
Date: 6-9 March 2023
Sectors: Renewable Energy and Hydrogen
Cost: £500
If you are a Scottish company in the renewable energy and hydrogen sectors and are interested in joining this trade mission, please fill out this application and send to: internationaltrade@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com or get in touch for further information.
Applications close: 20 January 2023
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce is leading a delegation of Scottish businesses to Lower Saxony and Bremen, Germany in early February 2023 in partnership with the British Chamber of Commerce Germany. The visit will focus on Renewable Energy and Hydrogen, with the aim of building partnerships between businesses from Scotland and Germany, as well as increasing ambitions for exporting.
Glasgow Chamber has a strong relationship with the British Chamber of Commerce Germany and hopes the visit will lead to further collaborations between the two countries.
Why Germany?
According to KMPG’s latest German-British Business Outlook 2022 report, the UK is one of Germany’s most important trading partners. In recent years however, there has been a gradual decline in trade. During the period of 2015 to 2021, exports from Germany into Great Britain have decreased by 27% per year, and between 2019 to 2021, exports from the UK into Germany fell by 16%. With these figures in mind, it is more important than ever for Scottish and German businesses to continue to forge strong relationships and establish new partnerships.
Furthermore, Germany has been identified in the Scottish Government's strategic international strategy, 'Scotland: A Trading Nation' as the second most important country to increase exports to.
Why the State of Lower Saxony?
The area of Lower Saxony in Germany is a pioneer when it comes to energy. It is Germany's frontrunner in renewable energies such as wind power, and as a region for biogas. It intends to further consolidate this position by rigorously harnessing offshore wind power.
The state has also recently released plans for the region to become climate neutral by 2040. This will be achieved by an increase in the construction of PV solar plants, as well as by assigning 2.2% of Lower Saxony’s land area to wind energy. Through these changes, it is hoped that by 2040, 100% of the state’s energy will be produced through renewable sources.
Germany has declared it wants to achieve net zero by 2045. Lower Saxony in the north of Germany, with more than 300km of North Sea coast and lots of space and wind, will make a significant contribution in achieving climate neutrality throughout Germany. It is where vast amounts of renewable electricity are already being produced, having an impact on the overall energy mix. To complement green electricity, Lower Saxony is now focusing on green hydrogen to transition industrial processes that cannot be electrified. The State now has more than 80 hydrogen projects on the go across its region, with infrastructure linking up both the Netherlands and Denmark.
Why Bremen?
The state of Bremen occupies top positions in the aerospace industry, the wind industry and the maritime economy and logistics. With carbon-neutral hydrogen being an essential element of the energy supply in the future, Bremen is investing more than a billion Euros in sustainable hydrogen projects. Bremen undertakes to expand the hydrogen infrastructure and promote a plethora of projects in the industrial, transport and energy sectors.
In December 2021, the "Climate protection strategy for the state of Bremen" fact-finding commission presented its final report and stated its objective of achieving climate neutrality for the Federal State of Bremen before 2038. To make this aim a reality, the hydrogen produced using renewable energy, and the products derived from it, will be used in areas where renewable electricity is unable to replace natural gas and petroleum.
Click here to find out more about current hydrogen projects and initiatives in the State of Bremen.
