Senior Expert Hydrogen Economy
Dr Jan Frederik Braun is a Senior Expert in Hydrogen Economy for the MENA Region at Fraunhofer's Cluster of Excellence Integrated Energy Systems (CINES). CINES is part of the Fraunhofer Society. Fraunhofer is a German research organization with 76 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science and Europe's largest in this area. Jan previously worked as a Climate Change Economics Research Fellow at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). He also carried out climate and energy policy research as a Strategic Energy Analyst at The Hague Center for Strategic Studies (HCSS), for the Dutch Ministry of Environment, the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, and the Republic of Korea's Embassy to Germany in Bonn. Jan's research focuses on clean hydrogen policies, economics, and energy transition strategies. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from Durham University and a PhD in Political Science (magna cum laude) from Osnabrück University.
May 29
This presentation analyzes ongoing hydrogen developments of the 27 member states of the European Union and the states outside this treaty-based organization. The focus of the presentation is on current policy and regulatory developments, which have been turbocharged by the war in Ukraine and Europe’s rapidly developing export relations with fossil fuel exporters. Gulf players such as Saudi Arabia are long-standing energy partners for Europe. They not only have the capacity and know-how to produce low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia, but also have the additional geopolitical and climate incentive to position themselves as reliable providers of clean energy imports for Europe. However, European policymakers and industries have yet to signal a coherent hydrogen import strategy. This presentation argues that this discord should be replaced by a coordinated European import strategy that balances renewable-based and low-carbon hydrogen. This should be based on a grounded assessment of production and demand capacities across Europe and of export partners such as Saudi Arabia.
