Governance of the German hydrogen economy and the globalization of the German energy transition

该研究项目的重点是德国氢能经济的兴起及其全球层面。至少有两个原因，德国的氢能经济是一个值得探讨的话题。一方面，它有可能完成迄今主要以电力为重点的德国能源转型。另一方面，它拥有氢气技术出口导向型产业的前景，这就是为什么它得到了各级政治上的推动和支持。在政治和工业的动态发展以及基础设施建设开始的背景下，计划中的项目审查(A)能源过渡背景下德国氢经济的治理，(B)从以使命为导向的创新系统的角度发展治理结构，以及(C)国家行为者在将国内外区域纳入向德国市场供应氢气的全球生产网络方面的作用。该项目为地理学开辟了一个新的研究领域。为此，我们开发了一种专注于德国西北部的研究设计，因为超区域氢气基础设施的开发始于那里，全球贸易的氢气将通过该地区的海港进口。基于我们的实证结果，我们的研究做出了以下理论贡献：首先，我们从全球生产网络的角度对德国能源转型的跨境治理进行了概念化。为此，我们发展了战略部门耦合和牵头公司网络的概念，以提高我们对部门耦合过程的治理和全球氢气生产网络中牵头公司的合作的理解。其次，我们将德国氢经济理解为一个以使命为导向的创新体系。因此，我们的目标是通过考察创新系统在与使命相一致的过程中的边界和相互联系，来提高我们对以使命为导向的创新系统治理的理论理解。第三，我们对国家行为者的作用、他们的目标和手段在将外国地区战略性地耦合到全球(氢气)生产网络中的作用进行了概念化。第四，也是最后一点，该项目通过探索这样一种假设，即氢经济市场的提升伴随着建立一种气候中立经济的新范式，从而为转型研究做出了贡献。在这种新范式中，工业正在积极参与其中，而不是抵制能源系统的去铁板化。

The research project focuses on the emergence of the German hydrogen economy and its global dimensions. The German hydrogen economy is a rewarding topic for at least two reasons. It has, on the one hand, the potential to complete the so-far primarily electricity-focused German energy transition. On the other hand, it holds the promise for an export-oriented industry for hydrogen technologies, which is why it is politically promoted and supported at various levels. Against the background of the dynamic developments in politics and industry as well as the commencing infrastructure construction, the planned project examines (a) the governance of the German hydrogen economy in the context of the energy transition, (b) the development of governance structures from the perspective of mission-oriented innovations systems, and (c) the role of state actors for the integration of domestic and foreign regions into global production networks for supplying hydrogen to the German market. The project opens up a new research field for geography. For this purpose, we developed a research design that focuses on Northwest Germany because the development of supra-regional hydrogen infrastructures starts there and globally traded hydrogen will be imported via the region’s seaports. Grounded in our empirical results, our research makes the following theoretical contributions: First, we conceptualize the cross-border governance of the German energy transition from a global production networks perspective. To this end, we develop the concepts of strategic sector coupling and networks of lead firms to improve our understanding of the governance of sector coupling processes and the cooperation of lead firms in global hydrogen production networks. Second, we understand the German hydrogen economy as a mission-oriented innovation system. Thereby, we aim at improving our theoretical understanding of the governance of mission-oriented innovation systems by looking at the boundaries and inter-linkages of innovation systems in the course of their alignment with a mission. Third, we conceptualize the role of state actors, their goals and means in the strategic coupling of foreign regions into global (hydrogen) production networks. Fourth, and finally, the project contributes to transition research by exploring the hypothesis that the hydrogen-economy market ramp-up goes along with establishing a new paradigm of a climate-neutral economy in which industry, instead of resisting the defossilization of the energy system, is actively taking part in it.