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Identifying future services around hydrogen in natural gas networks

hydrogen hero image

The challenge

Which services related to the topic ‘hydrogen’ can our clients offer to which customer segments? 

Based on the H2 Vision 2030 (Zielbild 2030), stating that 70% of Germany’s industry should be provided with hydrogen, we wanted to help our clients find entry points in the present to work towards this goal. Distribution grid operators, industry, medium-sized business etc could be potential customers.

Their needs and future pains, the legal structures around H2 as well as the quickly changing political situation all have a critical influence on future business models.

Drivers H2
hypotheses

Our approach

We kicked off the immersion phase with series of expert interviews within the client organisation. In co-creation with the client we then decided on a selection of hypotheses as a starting point for our research.

18 research interviews with representatives from grid operators, consumers, public utilities, associations, device manufacturers and CO2 consultants. We identified 3 of these groups as our core user groups.

In our insight visualisation we carved out existing patterns per user group and per hypothesis. A focus workshop after the first half of our project help us steer further research into a direction that would create most value an insights for our client.

What we did

After a competitor analysis and the evaluation of studies, we used our research interview transcripts to cluster needs, jobs-to-be-done, pains for each potential customer group. In co-creation with our client we identified the pains that would present the biggest opportunities to create services around them.

Compressed into 9 service cards, these insights served as the base for informed evaluation and ideation workshops. Together, we identified two main opportunity areas and facilitated the service ideation around these topics.

service cards
ideation outcome

The outcome

The project outcome included two service drafts including customer group, value proposition, market position, journey sketch, unique selling points, monetisation concept as well as social and environmental impact evaluation.

We are currently talking with the client about next steps for further research and – eventually – the implementation of a validated service concept.

Research & co-creation

Hypotheses

  • ~10 hypotheses as research foundation
  • 3 focus hypotheses 

Research activities

  • 6 immersion interviews
    with internal experts
  • 16 research interviews
    with H2 customers, network operators, H2 associations, public utility providers and hardware manufacturers
  • 6 H2 study reviews
  • Benchmarking of 20 H2 startups

Co-creation activities

  • 1 focus workshop
  • 1 research insight & focus workshop
  • 1 service ideation workshop

Client feedback

Mit sauberer Methodik Struktur ins Chaos gebracht. H2 ist noch interessanter und facettenreicher als gedacht.

Our clients

Wenn man jedes Thema so “ausleuchten” würde, kann im Leben nur gewinnen.

Our clients

Eine enorme Entwicklung dahin, das riesige Feld H2 zu verstehen

Our clients