More Talk Of Green Hydrogen And Electrofuels Surfaces In Europe

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Whelp, that was fast. US President Donald Trump’s war in Iran has barely been under way for six weeks, and the leading global defense supplier Rheinmetall has already proposed setting up hundreds of green hydrogen microgrids all across Europe. The aim is to nail down a hyper-local domestic supply of drop-in synthetic military fuels produced with renewable energy, captured carbon, and water.

Why Doesn’t Europe Have Enough Green Hydrogen Now?

The Reinmetall vision may fade into the memory hole once Iran agrees to open the Strait of Hormuz and the price of fossil fuels begins to drop. That may or may not happen any time soon, and meanwhile the technology pieces are already in place to produce green hydrogen at scale. In addition, some military suppliers have begun to promote the use of hydrogen fuel cell electric combat drones, refueled in the field with transportable microgrids that leverage solar energy to produce green hydrogen from water (here’s another example).

For those of you new to the topic, green hydrogen generally refers to hydrogen pushed from water with a jolt of electricity, in an electrolyzer system. Biomass and plastic waste are among other alternatives, though water electrolysis has been stirring the most public and private investor activity so far. Fuel cells are one use case. Hydrogen is also a combustible fuel, and it can be combined with captured carbon to synthesize drop-in liquid electrofuels or e-fuel replacements for fossil fuels.

The “green” badge is generally reserved for electrolysis systems that run on electricity from wind, solar, and other renewables. In Europe, energy planners once envisioned a wide-ranging set of use cases for green hydrogen, including granular applications like fuel cell vehicles and building HVAC systems as well as refining, fertilizer production, and other industrial uses.

While China has emerged as an industrial-scale powerhouse, Europe’s scattershot approach led to a trail of failed projects and broken dreams over the years. Some stakeholders persist, but commercial traction has been slow to materialize. That is not too surprising. In transportation, for example, green hydrogen faces stiff competition from lower-costing fossil fuels, and from a rising tide of ever-improving EV batteries, too.

More Green Hydrogen For Europe, STAT

Trump’s war in Iran has suddenly brightened the competitive picture for green hydrogen and e-fuels in the transportation sector. Trump’s insistence on propping up Russian President Vladimir Putin at the expense of America’s European allies is another factor at work as the EU scrambles to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels.

That explains why Rheinmetall has focused like a thousand points of light on military applications for drop-in e-fuels. “A secure supply of fuel for the armed forces is a basic prerequisite for their ability to wage war,” the company states.

“Investments in local renewable energy sources and in the ability to synthesise e-fuels will secure the energy supply for the armed forces in Europe as a key capability suitable for war,” they emphasize.

As for why not batteries or, for that matter, fuel cells, Rheinmetall makes the case for the drop-in liquid fuel solution:

“In military operations, fuel consumption can reach 20 to 60 liters per soldier per day. Yet fossil fuel logistics, designed for peacetime, are increasingly fragile. Synthetic e-Fuels are the only scalable solution that match the energy density, storability, and versatility of conventional fuels – making them indispensable for modern defense readiness.”

How Will It Work?

Make of that what you will. On its part, Rheinmetall has already set the pieces in motion to blanket Europe with modular e-fuels facilities, under its new “Giga PtX” project.

Last June, months before Trump launched his war in Iran, Rheinmetall launched a strategic partnership with the German PtL (Power-to-Liquid) firm INERATEC, aiming to deploy the company’s modular systems for military operations. The two firms initially hooked up in 2024 to construct a pilot e-fuels plant. In the latest development, on April 17 the leading electrolyzer producer ITM Power announced that it, too, has launched a collaboration with Rheinmetall.

“The collaboration will focus on Rheinmetall’s Giga PtX project, which aims to establish a Europe-wide network of decentralised synthetic fuel production plants for the NATO armed forces, designed to strengthen defence energy resilience, sovereign fuel capability and operational readiness,” ITM explained.

ITM also affirmed that the plan involves “several hundred” facilities, each outfitted with an electrolysis system of up to 50 megawatts and capable of delivering 5,000 – 7,000 tonnes  (about 5,500 – 7,700 US tons) of liquid fuel per year.

“Synthetic fuels are expected to play a critical role in defence and other mission-critical sectors, where electrification is not viable, and a secure, reliable fuel supply is essential,” ITM emphasized.

Meanwhile, Back In The USA

Of course, the US has copious fossil fuel supplies of its own, so energy planners here don’t have to worry about Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz — oh, wait. Scratch that. Regardless of what comes out of the ground in the US, the market for coal, oil, and natural gas is a global one, with price spikes routinely rippling onto these shores.

That translates into higher costs for the US Department of Defense. The DOD is already getting hammered by climate impacts that interfere with training programs and threaten to overwhelm coastal facilities. Volatility in the global fuel market provides additional motivation for DOD to make its contribution to the global decarbonization movement with e-fuels and other, more sustainable locally sourced alternatives.

Except, not. The US was in a different place just two years ago, when the US Department of Energy had a $7 billion clean hydrogen program under way, aimed at expanding, decarbonizing, and diversifying domestic production capacity. The program also supported the  Defense Department’s ongoing focus on sustainable fuels, net zero goals, and climate adaptation.

Now all those programs have gone into the Trump chopper willy-nilly. Adding to the hurt, US farmers are also facing a tsunami of hurt over rising fuel and fertilizer costs, with hydrogen being the essential ingredient in ammonia fertilizer.

Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. After all, seventy-seven million voters in the US decided to send Trump back into office in 2024, and millions more eligible voters lent a helping hand by sitting out the election or voting for a certain-to-lose third party. It’s too late to change that outcome, but not to worry. A do-over is right around the corner on Election Day 2028. Pro tip: next time, read the fine print.

Photo: A new green hydrogen proposal calls for hundreds of all-in-one, modular e-fuels facilities to leverage green hydrogen for locally produced, sustainable military fuels in Europe (cropped, courtesy of ENERATEC).