Switzerland leads the world in green hydrogen production
Switzerland is one of the leading nations in research into green hydrogen. The Swiss Hydrogen Association Hydropole celebrates its 25th anniversary and presents the «Hydrogen Report Switzerland 2026». The report shows how Switzerland went from being the world's first power-to-X platform to an internationally recognized center of excellence for hydrogen technology.
Switzerland has been a pioneer in hydrogen technology for decades. Exactly 25 years after its foundation on November 23, 2001 at the Paul Scherrer Institute, the Swiss Hydrogen Association Hydropole today presented the «Hydrogen Report Switzerland 2026». The anniversary was celebrated with over 50 leading experts in the field of hydrogen and Power2X at a symposium with presentations, posters and an exhibition at the Hotel Bern.
From a niche to a social issue
«At the end of the last century, research groups and industrial companies were working intensively on hydrogen. Switzerland had already been producing green hydrogen from hydropower using highly efficient alkaline electrolyzers for decades,» recalls Andreas Züttel, President of Hydropole and Professor of Physical Chemistry at EPFL. Today, global hydrogen production has risen to 115 million tons per year - but less than one percent of this is green. Over the past 25 years, Hydropole has driven precisely this change from a niche to a social issue.
Back in 2004, the association demonstrated the world's first snow groomer with a metal hydride storage system and hydrogen combustion engine. The ban on asbestos forced the industry to develop new diaphragms for alkaline electrolysers - a development that was largely realized by Hydropole members.
Core competence: specialist knowledge and international integration
«The association's core expertise is its specialist knowledge and international integration in a politically neutral environment,» emphasizes Züttel. «This enables a trusting exchange and concrete further developments from which all members benefit.»
Hans Michael Kellner, Managing Director of Messer Switzerland and board member of Hydropole, adds the industrial perspective: «Less than one percent of the world's hydrogen is currently CO₂ emission-free. Most of it comes from fossil sources and therefore contributes to emissions itself. But there is an often overlooked opportunity: so-called »colorless' hydrogen, which is a by-product of industrial processes and can be used immediately with minimal investment."
Metal hydrides as the key to the future
Kellner sees metal hydrides as the key to the next phase: «Metal hydrides not only enable safe storage, but also purification, thermal compression and even the conversion of waste heat into electricity - without noise or vibration. They also solve the logistical problem of hydrogen supply and make hydrogen filling stations simpler and more efficient. This makes hydrogen not only an alternative, but also a competitive solution for industry.»
The Hydrogen Report Switzerland 2026, presented to mark the anniversary, documents the impressive achievements of Hydropole members and underlines the ongoing global importance of Swiss research. «Although over 80 percent of hydrogen is produced and consumed in Asia today, the origins of the technology lie in Europe - and Switzerland continues to be a key driver of innovation,» says Züttel.
After 25 years, Hydropole remains the central platform for the exchange of knowledge between academia and industry - politically neutral, scientifically sound and solution-oriented.
More information: www.hydropole.ch
