Just transition in a nutshell - hydrogen as an energy carrier for industry

Just transition in a nutshell - hydrogen as an energy carrier for industry

von | Sep. 19, 2023 | Allgemein, Bildung, Industrie, News

PROJECTS

©MUSource: HUR

Just change in a nutshell

Gerechter Wandel auf den Punkt is a new information series that provides concise and understandable information on the topics of the energy transition and the transformation of the economy. These articles are of particular interest to employees and their representatives, i.e. works and staff councils.

The first issue, "Hydrogen as an energy source for industry", is all about hydrogen.

News (January 2024): The second issue "No stable energy system without hydrogen" has been published!

What is the future status of hydrogen in the energy system? What hurdles are there? Can we be independent of imports? What needs to be implemented now? Christoph Peters from the DGB answers these questions in the second issue. Click here for the document.

What role will (green) hydrogen play in the future and what role does Lower Saxony play in this? Where should hydrogen be used first and foremost? How does the development of a hydrogen economy strengthen our industry and what does this mean for employees?

Hydrogen is a key part of the energy transition as it can be produced and used in a climate-neutral way. Many sectors, such as industry, mobility and energy supply, can benefit from this energy source. Hydrogen is therefore necessary for the transition away from fossil fuels in order to combat global warming.

Industry in particular needs hydrogen as an alternative energy source. This is because there are no better alternatives from renewable energy sources that can generate the large amount of heat required in steel production, for example. Salzgitter AG's SALCOS project is setting in motion the development of low-CO2 steel production.

But how does the production process work?

Electrolysis requires energy to split the water into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). A distinction is made between green and blue hydrogen. With green hydrogen, the energy comes from renewable sources, with blue from fossil fuels. Green hydrogen is therefore more sustainable, but blue hydrogen is also more climate-friendly. Why? You can find out here.

Thanks to wind power generation, Lower Saxony can produce green hydrogen and store it in caverns. However, this is not enough, which is why hydrogen also has to be imported. However, the northern German states are planning to install five gigawatts of electrolysis capacity for the production of hydrogen by 2030. But there is still a lot to do here too.

Hydrogen is a sustainable product, which means that the hydrogen economy can secure jobs and create new ones. This requires training opportunities and political support (e.g. funding programs). You can find an overview of training opportunities here.

You can find the complete info text under this link.

It is published by the German Trade Union Federation of Lower Saxony, Bremen and Saxony-Anhalt, a partner of the Lower Saxony Hydrogen Network.

Funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy, Building and Climate Protection.

©DGB

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    AdekWat - Additively manufactured high-pressure heat exchanger for efficient refueling at hydrogen filling stations

    AdekWat - Additively manufactured high-pressure heat exchanger for efficient refueling at hydrogen filling stations

    von | Aug. 9, 2023 | Allgemein, Mobilität, News

    PROJECTS

    ©SEH/creanovo - motion & media design GmbHSource: NWN/Rainer Jensen

    Heat exchangers are needed to compensate for the high pressure that is generated during refueling.

    AdekWat - Additively manufactured high-pressure heat exchanger for efficient refueling at hydrogen filling stations

    In the transport sector, hydrogen is seen as one of the key solutions for reducing emissions - especially in heavy goods traffic. For fuel cell vehicles to become more widespread, a corresponding filling station infrastructure is required. The conversion of conventional filling stations or the construction of new hydrogen filling stations requires complex technology, some of which must be integrated into the hydrogen dispenser. Due to the high pressure that hydrogen is under during refueling, special requirements are also placed on the pressurized components.

    These components include the heat exchanger for pre-cooling the hydrogen, which is to be developed to market maturity as part of the "AdekWat" joint project funded by the state of Lower Saxony. The Institute for Thermodynamics and the Institute for Product Development and Device Construction at Leibniz Universität Hannover are involved in this project under the leadership of FUNKE Wärmeaustauscher GmbH.

    A special feature of the heat exchanger to be developed is its manufacture using additive manufacturing technology, which allows many degrees of freedom in the geometric design of the heat exchanger and therefore has great potential in terms of saving installation space and weight.
    However, the geometric degrees of freedom make the design process complex. To support users in the design process, a software routine is also being developed as part of the joint project in order to find customer-specific solutions.
    In addition to use in hydrogen filling stations, additively manufactured (high-pressure) heat exchangers can be used in numerous other areas of application, such as the mobility sector or the process industry.

    Partner

    FUNKE Wärmeaustauscher Apparatebau GmbH - FUNKE is a manufacturer of various types of heat exchangers with approx. 400 employees worldwide and has almost 50 years of experience in the design, construction and manufacture of heat exchangers.

    Institute of Thermodynamics - The Institute represents technical thermodynamics in research and teaching and is part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at LUH. Research focuses on fuel cells and water electrolysis, thermodynamic cycles, heat and mass transfer as well as nanofluids and material data.

    Institute for Product Development and Device Engineering - The institute is part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at LUH and is active in numerous scientific and industrial projects. In addition to teaching, the institute is active in the research areas of development methodology, systems engineering, additive manufacturing and optomechatronics.

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      HyLand: Hydrogen regions in Lower Saxony

      HyLand: Hydrogen regions in Lower Saxony

      von | Aug. 2, 2023 | Allgemein, News, Wasserstoffregion

      PROJECTS

      ©ØrstedSource: HyLand

      Eight different regions and cities in Lower Saxony are supported by the HyLand initiative.

      HyLand: Hydrogen regions in Lower Saxony

      In 2019, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV) launched the "HyLand - Hydrogen Regions in Germany" competition. The aim of this competition is to promote the hydrogen economy, further develop ideas and concepts and bring together stakeholders. The program is now in its second round. Since the beginning, over 50 projects have been funded throughout Germany.

      Regions from Lower Saxony have also applied for funding. So far, there are eight projects that have been awarded the HyStarter, HyExpert or HyPerformer status. These include the HyStarter Bad Bentheim and Schaumburg. The regions of Emsland, North-East Lower Saxony, East Frisia, South-East Lower Saxony and the city of Brake are HyExperts and Hyways for Future around Oldenburg was selected as a HyPerformer. Here we present the individual regions in more detail. 

      HyExpert: Hydrogen region Emsland

      The economically strong region is focusing its energy transition on the mobility sector, industry and the energy sector. With the collaboration of over 25 players, a hydrogen hub is to be created in order to steer the strong energy region towards a green future. You can find more information about the region here.

      HyExpert: Hydrogen Region North-East Lower Saxony

      The lead project "Load transport with green hydrogen - Future Mobility" aims to combine regional generation of renewable energies and load transport with the help of hydrogen technologies. The region consists of eleven districts, including the district of Osterholz as the applicant and coordinator. You can find more information here here.

      HyStarter: Hydrogen region city of Bad Bentheim

      The town of Bad Bentheim is known for recreation and health. Accordingly, it is important for the location to work with and not against nature. Photovoltaic systems and wind farms are now being followed by the use of hydrogen for climate-neutral mobility, in which many companies are involved. Further information can be found on the HyLand website.

      HyStarter: Hydrogen Region Schaumburg

      The first region in Lower Saxony to be promoted as a HyStarter is mainly concerned with the conversion of the energy system, the production of green hydrogen and the logistics and mobility sector. There is a lot to be done in the transition from coal energy to green energy so that Schaumburg can be maintained as an energy region. We reported on this in more detail here.

      HyExpert: Hydrogen Region City of Brake

      With the H2BrakeCO2 project, the city of Brake has set itself the goal of implementing CO2-free port and logistics processes using hydrogen technology. With over 40 supporters, the project is very well networked and well on the way to turning its back on high CO2 levels. Further information can be found on the HyLand website.

      ©H2BrakeCO2Source: City of Brake

      HyPerformer: Hydrogen region "HyWays for Future"

      Producing hydrogen with climate-friendly energy locally and using it locally - that is the goal of HyWays for Future. This includes building electrolysis capacities and hydrogen filling stations and investing in vehicles. The green hydrogen is to be delivered to filling stations and used for local public transport, waste collection or trucks. Click here for more information.

      Source: EWE

      HyExpert: Hydrogen region East Frisia

      Since September 2021, the East Frisia region can officially call itself a HyStarter region. It all began with the "Hydrogen Round Table" in January 2021. After applying to the HyLand II competition in April 2021, the H2 East Frisia initiative was officially named a HyStarter region. Since then, the initiative has been networking regional players and gathering knowledge in order to develop new project ideas. More information here.

      Source: Lisa Ulferts

      HyExpert: Hydrogen Region SouthEastLower Saxony

      The South-East Lower Saxony region can also look forward to support of up to 400,000 euros. The federal government's HyExpert funding enables the development of a holistic concept for the production and use of green hydrogen in the areas of mobility and industry. The results are to be presented in November 2023. The focus is on the transformation in the production of steel products and the vehicle industry, where hydrogen is set to play a decisive role.

      Many traditional companies and innovative sectors come together in this region. This diversity characterizes Germany as a formative industrial and research location. This is precisely why it is important that players come together, research is carried out on projects and initial results are achieved in the field of hydrogen. More details here.

      Source: Alliance for the Region

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