Taiwan’s ITRI Teams Up with German Institute on Hydrogen Tech
Collaboration focuses on advancing hydrogen fuel cell power systems
Sep. 23, 2025 – 14:58
Drone powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
(Industrial Technology Research Institute photo)
By Carol Yang – Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has partnered with Germany’s Julich Research Centre to advance hydrogen fuel cell power systems.
The two institutes signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday. ITRI said the systems will be integrated with its grid facility in Tainan to support renewable energy, energy storage, and energy management, per CNA.
The German institute, one of Europe’s leading research organizations, brings together more than 7,000 researchers and has promoted hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. It has also partnered with the German government on large-scale hydrogen projects aimed at industrial applications.
ITRI said its Tainan facility has collaborated with nearly 20 institutes on technologies such as hydrogen power generation, energy storage, and hydrogen-carrier fuels. This year, they will conduct research and development on ammonia-to-hydrogen conversion and fuel cells.
According to the National Development Council, Taiwan plans to source 12% of its electricity from hydrogen by 2050. In response, ITRI has begun recycling hydrogen produced during electronics and semiconductor manufacturing. The recovered hydrogen can be purified and reused in production or converted into fuel cells.
ITRI added it has developed a hydrogen fuel cell with high efficiency and low carbon emissions. The institute is working with Hsinchu-based Asia Hydrogen Energy to commercialize the fuel cells, and with CPC Corp. to ensure their safety and reliability.
In a new project, ITRI has also teamed up with Tainan-based Blade Hydrogen Green Technology to develop a mixed-hydrogen fuel cell. The collaboration aims to roll out the first hydrogen-powered electric bus by next year, noting that hydrogen fuel cells can reduce charging time compared with lithium battery–only buses.
