A key position at Forschungszentrum Jülich’s new Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) will soon be filled. On 1 March, process engineer Dr.-Ing. Andreas Peschel will be appointed Director of Process and Plant Engineering for Chemical Hydrogen Storage (INW-4). Peschel is currently head of chemical technology research and development at Linde Engineering. INW forms the core of the Helmholtz Cluster for a Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2), a structural change project. The aim of the cluster is to develop the Rhenish mining area into a model region for hydrogen technology that has a global reach. It also aims to create new jobs in the carbon-neutral energy economy of the future. The new director will play a crucial role in these objectives.
“I’m a process engineer. I was already motivated by the prospect of clean facilities and sustainable technologies when I began my studies at RWTH Aachen University. That is why I feel a deep connection to the topics of the energy transition and hydrogen,” says Peschel talking about his move to Jülich from one of Germany’s leading industrial gases and engineering companies.
Professor at RWTH Aachen University
With his appointment, Peschel simultaneously assumes a W3 professorship at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of RWTH Aachen University for the Department of Process and Plant Engineering for Chemical Hydrogen Storage and will become a member of the Aachener Verfahrenstechnik (AVT; Aachen Chemical Engineering) chair consortium.
“We are working both on basic research and on the commercialization of various chemical storage methods for hydrogen. I am very excited to build such an interface in such an important process as the structural change in the Rhenish coalfield.”
Dr.-Ing. Andreas Peschel, Direktor INW-4
Transferring hydrogen storage technologies from research to the market is Peschel’s current responsibility at Linde. “We are delighted to have recruited Andreas Peschel, a leading figure from the German hydrogen industry, for our new institute. His expertise will provide great impetus in the transition to an environmentally friendly hydrogen economy of the future,” says INW founding director Prof. Peter Wasserscheid.
“In his previous role at Linde, he has shown that he can take the research and application of hydrogen technologies to the highest level.”
Prof. Peter Wasserscheid, Founding Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW)
One of the process engineer’s first tasks will be to set up a team for his subinstitute, INW-4. Peschel aims to start strengthening the network of hydrogen stakeholders in the Rhenish mining area as quickly as possible. It will be important to respond to the needs of partners from research, administration, business, and industry, he explains. “It is not just about demonstrating that a technology works from a scientific perspective. It must also offer an economic benefit. Otherwise it will not prevail. And that is precisely our goal: to make carbon-neutral energy technologies competitive on the market.”
Personal background
Andreas Peschel is 40 years old, married, and has two children. He studied mechanical and process engineering at RWTH Aachen University before moving to the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems in Magdeburg where he completed his doctorate at the city’s Otto von Guericke University. After completing his doctoral degree, he moved to Linde in 2012 where he has headed Chemical Technology R&D since the start of 2020.
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