Exchange Meeting on Hydrogen Supply Chain Optimization with VNG AG

Building on the successful visit to VNG AG's Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park — a pioneering real-world laboratory for green hydrogen (RTG reported), RTG doctoral student Shiyu Guo (SP H2), her academic supervisor Prof. Udo Buscher, and two colleagues from the Chair of Business Administration, in particular Industrial Management, welcomed Dr. Philipp Hauser from VNG AG to Dresden on April 15 for an in-depth exchange on hydrogen supply chain optimization. As a former doctoral researcher at TU Dresden, Dr. Hauser currently serves as Advisor for Scientific Studies at VNG AG in Leipzig.

During the meeting, Shiyu Guo presented the H2 Project’s latest progress on optimizing investment and operational decisions in green hydrogen supply chains with salt cavern storage. The discussion focused on applying a Stackelberg game framework to coordinate strategic decision-making between renewable power producers and salt cavern storage operators, with the aim of mitigating seasonal supply–demand mismatches and improving the utilization of renewable energy.

A key takeaway from the exchange was the identification of practical constraints in storage pricing and stakeholder coordination within real-world business models. These insights significantly helped to calibrate the Stackelberg modeling framework, improving its realism and applicability to hydrogen market operations. In addition, the discussion revealed promising directions for further model refinement, particularly the integration of stochastic elements to better capture uncertainty in renewable generation and electricity prices.

The meeting further strengthened the research partnership between the RTG and VNG AG and highlighted the value of continuous exchange between modeling and industry practice for advancing research on hydrogen supply chains.