SHELL DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

Their core work

Shell Deutschland is the German subsidiary of the Shell energy major, actively investing in hydrogen infrastructure for industrial decarbonisation. In H2020, they focus on deploying large-scale PEM electrolysers at refinery sites to replace grey hydrogen with green hydrogen produced from renewable power. They also contribute to developing standardised refueling protocols for heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles across multiple pressure levels (35, 50, and 70 MPa), bridging industrial hydrogen production with transport applications.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Shell Deutschland's H2020 journey begins in 2018 with REFHYNE, focused on proving large-scale electrolyser technology at a single refinery. By 2020-2021, their scope broadened significantly: PRHYDE tackled hydrogen distribution standards for heavy-duty transport, while REFHYNE II scaled up the electrolyser concept and added grid balancing, renewable integration, and oxygen co-product valorisation. The trajectory shows a clear move from demonstrating a single technology to building an integrated hydrogen ecosystem spanning production, grid services, and distribution.

Shell Deutschland is scaling from single-site hydrogen pilots toward integrated green hydrogen systems that connect renewable power, industrial demand, grid services, and transport refueling — expect future projects to focus on hydrogen valleys or regional hydrogen hubs.

How they like to work

Shell Deutschland participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with large industrials who contribute sites, infrastructure, and real-world deployment capacity rather than project management. With 22 unique partners across 8 countries in just 3 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia. Their value to consortia is clear: they bring actual refinery sites for demonstration and the industrial scale needed to validate technologies beyond the lab.

Shell Deutschland has built a network of 22 partners across 8 countries through 3 projects, indicating participation in large consortia with broad European reach. Their partnerships likely span electrolyser manufacturers, research institutes, and other industrial end-users in the hydrogen value chain.

What sets them apart

Shell Deutschland offers something rare in H2020: a major industrial end-user willing to host and co-fund multi-megawatt hydrogen demonstrations at real operating refineries. While many organisations develop electrolyser technology, few can provide the industrial-scale deployment sites, existing hydrogen demand, and grid connections needed to validate these systems at commercially relevant scales. For consortium builders, they are the bridge between lab-proven technology and industrial reality.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REFHYNE II
  EUR 8.67M EC contribution for scaling refinery hydrogen to include grid balancing and renewable integration — one of the largest electrolyser deployment projects in H2020.
• PRHYDE
  Developed the first standardised refueling protocols for heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles across three pressure levels, a critical enabler for hydrogen transport infrastructure.