H2NOW cleared to trade green hydrogen after receiving REDcert-EU certification

German company H2NOW GmbH has received REDcert-EU certification, meeting the EU's strict sustainability requirements for trading green hydrogen. The company can now officially bring green hydrogen to market as an RFNBO (Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin). For H2NOW, this is a crucial step towards its core mission: building a nationwide network of green hydrogen stations in Germany, focused squarely on heavy transport.

What is REDcert-EU and why does it matter?

REDcert-EU is a voluntary certification scheme for renewable fuels, officially recognised by the European Commission. In December 2024, the EU formally recognised three such schemes — REDcert, ISCC and CertifHY — as valid certification pathways for green hydrogen and e-fuels. Only with such certification can a company officially demonstrate that the hydrogen it supplies meets EU sustainability criteria: at least 70 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel references, and produced using verifiably renewable energy.

Without this certification, green hydrogen cannot qualify for Germany's THG quota (Treibhausgasminderungsquote) — the system that financially rewards suppliers of renewable fuels for the CO₂ reductions they achieve. The certification is therefore not just a quality mark for H2NOW, but a prerequisite for making its business case work.

Focus on heavy transport, not passenger cars

H2NOW was founded by Berlin-based fuel trader BMV and northern German filling station operator SCORE, which has more than fifty years of experience in the region. The company deliberately targets heavy transport: trucks, buses and municipal vehicles. This is an intentional choice. Green hydrogen as a transport fuel is currently most economically viable for vehicles that cover long distances, require high power output and are not easily electrified via batteries.

In the JadeWeserPark in Schortens (Landkreis Friesland, north-west Germany), SCORE is opening a hybrid filling station in 2026, with H2NOW supplying the hydrogen component. Alongside green hydrogen, the station will also offer HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) — a biogenic-synthetic diesel substitute — and conventional fuels. This multi-fuel approach allows different vehicle types to refuel at a single location, a pragmatic solution for a region where hydrogen infrastructure is still being built out.

Friesland commits to hydrogen buses

The Schortens station fits within a broader regional hydrogen strategy. The Friesland district is already operating six hydrogen buses run by Weser-Ems-Bus, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn Regio. These are currently supplied via a mobile hydrogen station at the bus depot in Jever, in collaboration with Norwegian hydrogen producer Lhyfe. The permanent station in Schortens is intended to take over that role in 2026 and open access to other users as well.

A network taking shape

H2NOW's goal is to develop a German network of hydrogen filling stations along transport corridors, freight hubs, ports and airports. The Schortens station is one of its first concrete steps. The REDcert-EU certification now makes it possible to operate that network commercially: only certified hydrogen qualifies for the mandatory blending targets and the associated financial incentives that make the business viable.

Sources:

• tankstellenWelt / H2NOW GmbH LinkedIn announcement (April 2026)
• SCORE GmbH – H2NOW GmbH launches nationwide hydrogen station network (August 2023): score-emden.de
• NOW GmbH – Weser-Ems-Bus: Friesland district embraces hydrogen buses (December 2025): now-gmbh.de
• S&P Global – EU recognises three voluntary certification schemes for renewable hydrogen (December 2024)
• - H2NOW GmbH – company profile: h2now.info