Energy has returned to the industrial policy agenda with force. The IEA notes that Germany still ranks among the countries with the highest electricity prices in Europe. There is every reason to expect that this unfortunate position will become even more entrenched in the near term, largely because power generation still depends heavily on gas and because geopolitical disruptions are more likely to intensify than ease. In the coming weeks, the last tankers carrying diesel that made it through before the Strait of Hormuz was closed are expected to unload in Europe. At that point, it will become clear whether demand can be covered from other sources—or whether real shortages will emerge. Beyond the cost issue alone, the question of industrial resilience has once again moved to the forefront.
Germany is being hit at a transitional moment in energy policy, midway through the shift from nuclear power, coal, and Russian natural gas to a system built on renewable energy, electrification, and low-emission hydrogen. The dependencies on imported energy sources created in particular by the rapid nuclear phaseout are proving especially damaging under current conditions. In this situation, the focus inevitably turns to what comes next. And in this case, that means hydrogen.
Hydrogen as a key hope
Hydrogen is still viewed with skepticism in many quarters. But current geopolitical developments are making one thing increasingly clear: for Germany as an industrial base, and for companies operating there, greater independence from natural gas must become a central strategic objective. The hydrogen ramp-up also depends heavily on technological progress, especially when it comes to efficiency and cost. Materials and surface engineering continue to make important contributions here. Fraunhofer FEP in Dresden is one example: the institute has succeeded in depositing compact titanium thin films on composite bipolar plates in a vacuum process. The goal is to make it possible to use lower-cost, lighter bipolar plates in fuel cells and electrolyzers without sacrificing corrosion resistance or electrical performance.
Lower-cost composite fuel cells
What makes this technically significant is that it combines several requirements in a single solution. PEM electrolyzers and fuel cells still often use titanium bipolar plates because they are corrosion-resistant, but they are also expensive. Composite bipolar plates based on polymer graphite are much cheaper and lighter, but they need a functional protective coating to remain stable and conductive over the long term in acidic environments. This is exactly where Fraunhofer FEP’s work comes in. The coating is applied using plasma-activated electron beam evaporation, or EB-PVD with SAD. The process was adapted so that the rough composite surface can be pretreated appropriately while keeping the thermal load on the polymer-based composite below the critical threshold. Going forward, the results are to be transferred into continuous production concepts such as roll-to-roll or sheet-to-sheet lines. The PolyFoleR project ran from October 2021 to September 2025. Its partners were Fraunhofer UMSICHT and Schaeffler, and it was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
More progress and faster action needed
If this process can be transferred into actual manufacturing soon, it would mark an important step toward making hydrogen more economical to use. But technological progress alone will not be enough to bring hydrogen into the mainstream. In 2024, the European Court of Auditors concluded that the Commission had been only partially successful in creating the conditions needed for the emerging hydrogen market and that a reality check was now necessary. That amounts to a verdict of broad underperformance. If Germany and Europe want to overcome their vulnerability in energy policy, it will not be enough simply to endorse hydrogen in principle. What matters is taking the steps needed to translate production and use into industrial reality. The development in Dresden illustrates just how much technological potential already exists. But the political and legislative side must finally respond as well and create workable framework conditions for a growing hydrogen market. The time has come to push progress forward with greater urgency.