Swiss Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Activities : Opportunities, barriers and public support

Switzerland has a small but internationally recognised set of competences and actors in fuel cells and hydrogen, from fundamental research to technology and product development. Swiss organisations are prominent in a number of research partnerships, and some have either major international co-operation or are partly or fully owned by overseas companies. However, the sector in Switzerland remains somewhat fragmented, with many actors pursuing their own niches and relatively little cross-fertilisation or co-ordination. While companies can and do work directly with research organisations, the sector (and possibly the country) have not proven large enough to build or support more connected value or supply chains. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy, in conjunction with other Swiss support organisations, provides funding for both research and development, and some for demonstration projects. It is generally well regarded and considered flexible and simple to deal with. It does not itself have a grand vision for how the sector could or should develop, typically being responsive to project suggestions. Such a vision is not necessarily part of its remit, but does seem to reflect a broader absence of strategic perspective regarding the fuel cell and hydrogen sector in Swiss energy policy and energy debate. This project set out to understand the state of the fuel cell and hydrogen sector in Switzerland, primarily through interviews with relevant players, and put it into the context of global developments, through E4tech’s industry knowledge and further research. An additional goal was to identify any major gaps or barriers to sector development, and to suggest options for closing the gaps or removing the barriers.