The downside is that will increase carbon emissions and for the longer term, the firm is considering a switch to hydrogen, which is a much cleaner energy source provided it is produced using renewable power. "We want to be one of the first large companies in Bavaria to switch to hydrogen," Craig Barker, managing director of the 87-year-old firm, told Reuters. It also announced an action plan to support small and medium-sized companies as they switch to climate-neutral production, including expanding hydrogen infrastructure. More is required to accelerate investments in hydrogen, including a Hydrogen Act to cut bureaucracy and regulate the hydrogen ramp-up quickly, utility industry association BDEW said earlier this month. "2023 must provide new impetus for investments in renewable energies, hydrogen, hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants and energy networks," BDEW president Kerstin Andreae said.

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