Mona Neubaur visits companies in the TECH.LAND area

The global conversation around the hydrogen economy often focuses on massive national infrastructure and cross-continent pipelines, such as our network’s landmark milestone to connect the Twente region to the German hydrogen network. However, a parallel, equally critical shift is taking place. The next phase of the hydrogen ramp-up is turning local, and it is being driven by the power of decentralization.
This was the central theme when Mona Neubaur, NRW Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy, visited hydrogen innovators BEN-Tec GmbH / H2 Powercell GmbH in Emsdetten as part of the NRW Innovation Tour 2026.
At TECH.LAND, we were proud to accompany this high-level exchange. Initiated by our valued partner TAFH / FH Münster, the visit served as a powerful showcase for how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), academic institutions, and cross-border networks are transforming the European energy landscape from the ground up.

The Next Frontier: Why the Hydrogen Ramp-Up Must Be Decentralized

During the visit, Minister Neubaur highlighted a critical strategic evolution: the energy transition is no longer just about promoting green hydrogen in theory. The defining challenge now is developing decentralized solutions and putting them into active, practical application.
Decentralized hydrogen systems are proving to be a natural fit for cross-border cooperation. Rather than relying solely on centralized, monolithic structures, local hydrogen ecosystems offer profound advantages for modern business and infrastructure:

Enhanced Security & Resilience: Serving as a reliable emergency power solution for critical infrastructure, such as hospitals.
Grid and Market Flexibility: Relieving pressure on central electricity grids and allowing companies to store energy locally.
Economic Autonomy: Making mid-sized enterprises more independent of centralized energy markets while lowering long-term operating costs.

As BEN-Tec Managing Director Sebastian Niehoff demonstrated alongside Manfred Limbrunner, these local systems are not a distant dream, they are economically viable today. From localized storage solutions that stabilize the grid to regional hydrogen filling stations, SMEs are proving that decentralized hydrogen can be deployed quickly, safely, and profitably.

Project BOOST: The Blueprint for Cross-Border Innovation

At the heart of the Emsdetten summit was the Interreg project BOOST, a initiative that TECH.LAND has championed alongside its partners since our strategic mission to the NRW State Representation in Brussels.
Led by FH Münster, BOOST brings together a heavyweight network including the University of Twente, Saxion Hogeschool, BEN-Tec, and numerous industrial and educational partners. The project addresses the exact bottleneck holding back rapid hydrogen deployment: transition speed.

How Project BOOST Accelerates the Transition:

Digital Twin Simulation: Developing digital tools to simulate and plan electrolyzers and hydrogen systems before a single piece of hardware is built.
Time-to-Market Reduction: Mitigating technical and economic risks early to dramatically shorten planning and investment cycles.
Workforce Qualification: Training and upskilling the next generation of specialized professionals specifically for hydrogen technologies.

As Prof. Dr. Elmar Brügging from FH Münster noted during the session, the true catalyst of the BOOST project is the cross-border chemistry itself. By combining deep German engineering with the famously agile, "hands-on" mentality of Dutch partners, the consortium is saving time, pooling know-how, and bypassing traditional innovation silos.

Tech.Land: Bridging Industry, Academia, and Policy

The visit in Emsdetten, which also welcomed the Mayor of Emsdetten, Oliver Kellner, alongside Carsten Schröder and Nico Gerweler, illustrated TECH.LAND's core mission. We operate as a platform and bridge-builder, linking regional innovation directly to European funding instruments like Interreg.
When European funding is paired with regional determination, it creates a powerful ripple effect. With shared challenges, shared grids, and a shared vision, NRW and the Netherlands are rapidly emerging as the model region for European cooperation in the hydrogen sector.

The future of energy is being drawn without borders, and it starts with the decentralized innovations being built right here in our region.