Carina Stoettner at the Handelsblatt Hydrogen Summit 2023: Innovation, Standards and the Business Case for Green Energy

At the Handelsblatt Hydrogen Summit in May 2023, leading figures from industry, government and technology discussed the role of green hydrogen in the climate transition — and how Germany might become a global engine of innovation in the field.
On the panel: Carina Stoettner as a foresight expert, alongside Uwe Kerkmann, managing director of H2UB. The conversation was moderated by Kevin Knitterscheid.

Rethinking innovation: setting standards, shaping the future

Carina Stoettner argued that the transition isn’t only about the energy source itself, but about how we build an industry around it:

“This isn’t just about using hydrogen. It’s about helping define the global standards with every innovation, every component, every valve built to handle it.”

Every component developed and manufactured in Germany, she said, is a lever: for a share of the economic value, for technology exports — and for an active German role in the global hydrogen market.

Hydrogen as part of a wider climate transition

The discussion made clear that hydrogen is not the whole answer but one central building block in a much larger systemic shift.
The climate transition has to be thought about well beyond clean energy supply — toward new models of production, innovation and value creation.

“The decisive question isn’t only how a product becomes green. It’s how it becomes green AND commercially relevant,” Stoettner said.

Industry leading the way: the Salzgitter example

Particular attention went to Salzgitter AG and CEO Gunnar Groebler. Salzgitter is among the first companies in Germany to commit fully to hydrogen-based steel production — a signal to the entire sector.

“When companies like Salzgitter move boldly, they take on a pioneering role — technologically, commercially and socially,” Stoettner said.

The takeaway: shaping the future through innovation

The Hydrogen Summit made one thing clear: if Germany wants to hold its own in global competition, clean energy sources won’t be enough on their own. It will take intelligent industrial policy, companies willing to take risks — and people prepared to think past the obvious solutions.