Green power

Hydrogen as a key technology: A network for the energy transition

The energy park in the town of Zerbst in Saxony-Anhalt is planning to generate green electricity using renewable sources and electrolysis.

A flagship project for the energy transition is underway in Zerbst in Saxony-Anhalt, where the energy service provider GETEC is working with partners from industry and research to establish a green energy park that will generate electricity from solar and wind energy and from biomass. Now an electrolysis plant and the accompanying logistics infrastructure for producing and distributing 100 percent green hydrogen for regional use are being built.

Today there is very little solar energy in evidence, but the wind turbines are spinning in a strong breeze. Chris Döhring pulls up the collar of his jacket and makes a sweeping movement of his arm to indicate the area that was his vision in the early 2000s and is now a flagship project of the energy transition: the Zerbst Energy Park. Aircraft hangars overgrown with vegetation remain from the period after 1936 when the site was a German Luftwaffe airbase. After 1945, it was used by the Red Army and then following reunification it was taken over by the German government. The GETEC Group, which was founded in 1993, purchased a large part of the airbase close to the town of Zerbst in 2003. The energy service company from Magdeburg, which now has customers throughout Europe, specializes among other things in developing green usage concepts for contaminated sites like this one.

Chris Döhring (52) is an energy and environmental engineer. He joined GETEC in 2004 when wind turbines had already been erected on the outskirts of Zerbst. At the time, there was significant local opposition to the turbines and protests were held with slogans ranging from “Spoiling the landscape” to “Ruining the future.”

GETEC is one of the pioneering firms which stayed true to its visions. Now that all the signs are pointing toward the energy transition, it is playing a leading role in the field of renewable energy. “We are running renewable energy supply projects for municipalities, businesses, farms and investors which are designed for the local conditions,” says Chris Döhring, who is now CEO of GETEC green energy GmbH. 

Comprehensive forward-looking project includes environmental protection

The Mitteldeutsche Energieverbund Zukunft (the central German future energy network) is a comprehensive project initiated by GETEC green energy that will use the most recent key technologies to generate sustainable energy from solar and wind power, biomass, ground heat, hydropower and hydrogen. The energy parks in Zerbst, Börde, Profen and Amsdorf have come together in the project.

The Zerbst Energy Park has large amounts of solar and wind power and biomass at its disposal. There are photovoltaic systems as far as the eye can see: 194,256 solar panels over an area of 108 hectares. Behind this are 14 wind turbines up to 200 meters high and in the middle is a biogas plant which supplies biomethane. This is produced from chicken manure, maize and green waste delivered by farmers from the region.

In the Zerbst Energy Park, “green” as a color symbolizing protection for the environment is a very accurate description. A herd of Galloway cattle grazes in the fields in front of the plant. Meadows have been planted with fruit trees and beekeepers put their hives under the acacias. Part of the site is a park in the other sense of the word: a public space where people can meet and enjoy leisure activities and sport. In addition, religious services are held in a historic aircraft hangar.

Mobile storage eliminates fluctuations

In the heart of the energy park, a plant for generating 100 percent green hydrogen for regional use will soon be built. GETEC green energy is one of the partners in this project with responsibility for planning. Chris Döhring is happy to show interested visitors around the site, which is still overgrown with vegetation, to make sure that they will be impressed in the future by the “after” picture. The electrolysis plant is expected to go into production at the end of 2022. It will be operated by Bio-Masse-Hof Zerbst GmbH and the other partners in the project are the town of Zerbst, the BioPharmaPark Dessau-Roßlau, Erdgas Mittelsachsen GmbH (EMS) and DHW Deutsche Hydrierwerke GmbH in Rodleben. According to Chris Döhring, the hydrogenation factory (DHW) will be the first customer for the green hydrogen from Saxony-Anhalt. The factory runs energy-intensive processes to produce fatty alcohols, fatty amines and sorbitols, among other things, and is currently using grey hydrogen manufactured from fossil fuels.

In future, the electrolysis plant at the Zerbst Energy Park will be completely powered by wind energy. For this purpose, seven new wind turbines will be built on neighboring sites that because of their contamination levels have previously only been used as leach fields for processing wastewater.

In addition to the electrolysis plant, a gas logistics system has to be built. This includes compressors that compress the hydrogen until it reaches the required pressure and a mobile hydrogen storage unit that is used to compensate for fluctuations in the renewable electricity generated from wind power. This small-scale distribution system is being developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg. The IFF is the research partner for the expansion of the Zerbst Energy Park.

Model region attracts many companies

According to Chris Döhring, the Zerbst Energy Park will play a pioneering role on a national level with regard to the variety of types of renewable energy available there. The park will have a filling unit for mobile hydrogen tanks to supply customers in the region and a public filling station for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

In addition, it will be connected to the existing central German hydrogen network 20 kilometers away, which links together the major chemical and industry parks in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Leuna, Schkopau, Böhlen-Lippendorf and Zeitz.

Döhring predicts that the wide range of renewable energies will attract start-ups and encourage existing companies to relocate. The synergies are already noticeable. “There are a lot of companies looking for new business opportunities because of the phase-out of coal that are drawn to a CO2-free model region for hydrogen.”

Now the wind blows the clouds away to reveal the sun. “It’s taken a while...,” says Chris Döhring, referring also to the realization of his visions following the changes in the social and political environment. Döhring is now directing his entrepreneurial energies into the brown coal mining region around Profen. In areas where the mines are being shut down, he aims to start the production of green hydrogen very soon.

Author: Kathrain Graubaum/IMG Saxony-Anhalt

World's largest hydrogen liquefier

The largest hydrogen liquefier in the world with a capacity of 24 megawatts

Linde puts the emphasis on green liquid hydrogen production in Leuna

The gas and engineering company Linde is doubling its capacity for producing liquid hydrogen at the Chemical Park Leuna in the south of Saxony-Anhalt. The new liquefaction plant, which will come into operation during the coming year, fits seamlessly into the state’s hydrogen strategy.

Saxony-Anhalt is looking to the future and compensating for the phase-out of coal by transforming itself into a model region for hydrogen. “This offers considerable potential for Saxony-Anhalt because it will encourage more companies to move here and create high-quality jobs along the hydrogen value chain,” says Minister for the Economy Armin Willingmann, emphasizing the importance of the second hydrogen liquefaction plant being constructed by Linde in the Chemical Park Leuna.

Linde is currently one of the largest hydrogen producers in the world and the company’s project is correspondingly ambitious. It is adding a new facility of the same size to its existing liquefaction plant, which was constructed in 2007. Both plants will be able to produce 230 kilograms of liquid hydrogen per hour. To supplement the existing steam reformer that runs on natural gas, Linde is also constructing a modern PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolysis unit on the site. The new electrolyzer has a capacity of 24 megawatts, which will make it the largest in the world to use this specialized technology to split water into oxygen and hydrogen.

The new plant will initially be run in trial mode and then in the fall will go into continuous operation. It will liquefy hydrogen at a temperature of 253 degrees Celsius and this will then be loaded into trucks at special filling stations. By the end of 2022, the company aims to be producing 3,200 tonnes of hydrogen per year. The full annual capacity is 4,200 tonnes. “The liquefier reduces transport costs, because a tanker can transport ten times as much liquid hydrogen as gas. This helps customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions without having to make changes to their own production facilities,” says Andreas Dietrich, on-site account manager at Linde. In addition, the liquefaction process improves the purity of the product, which is particularly important for the manufacture of electronic components.

Key element of the energy transition

The new plant has cost the company a total of around 60 million euros, including a subsidy of 15 million euros from the state government of Saxony-Anhalt and the German federal government as part of the Joint Task for the Improvement of Regional Economic Structures. Linde explains its commitment in terms of the increased demand for green hydrogen. This is in part the result of the National Hydrogen Strategy, which regards hydrogen as a key element in the energy transition. Other factors that contributed to the decision on the new plant, in addition to Linde’s existing production portfolio of industrial gases, were the extensive pipeline network and the excellent infrastructure connections. Also, the liquid nitrogen needed for the preliminary cooling process is produced cost-effectively on the site.

Initially, Linde will use certified green electricity to produce the hydrogen, but ultimately the process will be powered entirely by renewable energy from the region. “We are currently looking for suitable sites near the Chemical Park Leuna where we can build new solar and wind farms to supply the plant with renewably generated electricity from 2022,” explains Dietrich.

Because of its existing energy infrastructure, which includes the pipeline network, the storage caverns and the facilities for generating renewable energy, Saxony-Anhalt is in an excellent position to become a forward-looking, zero-carbon model region for hydrogen where green hydrogen can be produced, distributed, stored and used quickly and locally. The synergies can easily be exploited. For example, Linde is cooperating with HYPOS, the German national hydrogen network, at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials IMWS in Halle (Saale). In addition, in close collaboration with representatives of the state governments of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony and with companies in the region, Linde is investigating the possibility of expanding the hydrogen network around the chemical park, in particular in the direction of Leipzig Nord and the caverns in Bad Lauchstädt.

Eight-point plan

Linde’s commitment to the new plant fits perfectly into the new hydrogen strategy recently adopted by the state of Saxony-Anhalt with the aim of creating a framework for a green hydrogen economy in this industrial and energy region. The state government has agreed on an eight-point plan for the coming years which highlights the state’s main priorities in this area. Goals for the hydrogen economy have been formulated for the periods up to 2030 and up to 2040. The strategy has been produced on the basis of close cooperation between the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Energy, the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digitalization and the Ministry of Regional Development and Transport.

Author: Anja Falgowski/IMG Saxony-Anhalt

Photo: PSA unit in Leuna ©Linde Gas

Electrolysis Test Platform

Electrolysis test platform ELP and scaling platform Hy2Chem in Leuna

With the ELP electrolysis test platform at the Leuna chemical site, Saxony-Anhalt and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft are setting new standards. The scaling platform Hy2Chem is intended to use the hydrogen produced on a large scale for the sustainable production of basic chemicals and fuels.

With a unique research unit, the Fraunhofer electrolysis test platform ELP, innovative technologies for the large-scale production of regenerative hydrogen will in future be combined with an excellent infrastructure of gas pipelines and gas storage  systems at the Leuna chemical site. The development and scaling of new electrolysis systems and the chemical use of »green« hydrogen produced with regenerative energy will be jointly promoted by the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP in Leuna and the and the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES in Halle (Saale) (formerly affiliated as a topic in the Fraunhofer IMWS).

Bacteria in the Hydrogen Factory of the Future

MicroPro GmbH in Gommern is researching regenerative hydrogen production from biomass

The idea of using hydrogen as a source of energy has been explored for over 100 years. However, it is only now that it has become efficient and economical to implement this concept thanks to the development of the necessary technology, says microbiologist Martin Wagner. His biotechnology company MicroPro in Gommern, near Magdeburg, has developed a process that produces hydrogen by fermenting biomass.

Wagner, who is Managing Director of MicroPro GmbH, has adopted a quote from Galileo as the motto for his professional life: “Curiosity is the key to solving any problem.” He says, “I am motivated first and foremost by curiosity – not by economic considerations.” That doesn’t mean he will let his drive for research lead his company into troubled waters – on the contrary. Although it is a small business, MicroPro is one of the most innovative and creative biotechnology companies in Saxony-Anhalt. It was founded on the basis of considerable specialist expertise. In the GDR era, the microbiological laboratory was part of the Research Institute for the Exploration and Promotion of Oil and Natural Gas, which meant it also belonged to the Oil and Natural Gas Combine that had its headquarters in Gommern. After 1990, the Combine continued operation under the name Erdöl-Erdgas Gommern GmbH. Martin’s parents, Dr. Manfred Wagner and Dorothea Wagner, founded the spin-off MicroPro GmbH as a microbiological working area in 1996, drawing on their many years of experience in the specialist areas of geomicrobiology and technical microbiology and their international contacts. At that time, Martin was studying microbiology at university in Greifswald and was writing his dissertation on this subject area – despite the fact that (or perhaps even because) as a child and as a teenager, he came to learn about the thrilling life of microbes on earth from tales told to him by his father, rather than through first-hand experience. The work being carried out at the Combine was strictly confidential, as it related to the geological exploration of oil and natural gas deposits in the whole of the GDR and Eastern Europe.

Tapping into new areas of research

Knowing that “curiosity is the key to solving any problem”, Martin wanted to tap into his own, new areas of research when he joined MicroPro in 1997, while still maintaining its extensive portfolio of services for microbiological analysis. One such area he had in mind was contaminated soil. “One particular focus of our laboratory research as part of this was bacteria that break down hydrocarbons,” he says. This experience has made his laboratory a sought-after partner in the HYPOS Network (Hydrogen Power Storage & Solutions East Germany) for all things related to bacterial processes, such as those in underground hydrogen storage systems. Martin made a conceptual connection to bacteria that produce hydrogen. A research project into the possible uses of wood as a sustainable raw material revealed that, under certain conditions, hydrogen is released in large quantities during the fermentation process. This discovery was made 20 years ago. “It is always uncertain whether a research project will lead to financial gain, but I am often willing to take the risk,” says Martin. After all, every bit of knowledge gained is an asset in and of itself.

This case was no exception. His laboratory team had put hydrogen-producing bacteria on the back burner until a problem came along that needed solving with some advice from Galileo. Following the Fukushima reactor accident in 2011, Germany decided to phase out nuclear power, thus necessitating an energy transition. What with the German government’s climate program, which aims to reduce greenhouse gases by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990, hydrogen was once more in the spotlight as a source of energy for the future. “The idea is over 100 years old,” says Martin. Now the question was what technology to use to produce hydrogen in an environmentally-friendly and economical way. “Why not use bacteria? They even work for free!”

HyPerFerment Project

One year ago, MicroPro GmbH began intensive research again with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and incorporated specialists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg into the HyPerFerment Project as scientific experts. The IFF sees the HyPerFerment process for the continual production of green hydrogen as an important building block in the hydrogen factory of the future. In terms of plant construction, Streicher Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG from Gommern is a competent partner. The company designs and builds innovative plants for gas engineering, tank construction, refinery engineering, biogas supply and building services engineering.

The new fermentation process has now been successfully tested on a pilot-plant scale. A gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide is produced in a special fermentation process as a metabolic product of the organisms used. “When bacteria are used, there is no unnecessary energy loss caused by additional conversion stages such as electrolysis,” says Martin. He explains that once the carbon dioxide has been separated, eight to fifteen kilograms of pure hydrogen can be produced from a tonne of organic waste products. A plant with a volume of 1,500 cubic meters could produce enough hydrogen to operate around 1,400 fuel cell vehicles.

A home-grown energy supply

The HyPerFerment process is being integrated into biogas plants as a preliminary stage, which is a clear indication that it can be put into practice. Corn silage, for example, can be used without negatively influencing subsequent biogas production. The effect is quite the opposite: according to Martin, previous measurement data shows that the process makes the substrates easier to digest afterwards and increases methane production. A pilot plant will soon be built and is due to go into operation in the autumn of next year. “In terms of biogas plants, there are innovative operators in Saxony-Anhalt who are willing to take risks and invest in good ideas,” he maintains.

The new fermentation process could also be used with organic waste material. By this, Martin means coffee, apple leftovers, bran or molasses, a processed waste product from whey. He explains his vision: “This method could allow farms to produce their own energy for their own vehicles.” Of one thing he is sure: “Biohydrogen generated by fermentation will play a significant role in the decentralized production of hydrogen.”

Autorin: Kathrain Graubaum/IMG Sachsen-Anhalt

10.08.2020

Electrolysis: better electrodes

One Small Step for a Laboratory, One Giant Leap Toward a Model Region for Hydrogen

Chemists at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt have discovered how electrodes can be improved in the future using an innovative process. The method could enable materials to withstand the variable conditions that come with the use of renewable energy, helping to simplify the production of green hydrogen.

Saxony-Anhalt has declared its aim to become a model region for hydrogen. Chemists at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg have now taken a step toward achieving this aim – a small step for now, but one that has the potential to lead to great things. They treated materials for electrodes using an innovative process that will allow electrodes to cope with the requirements of dynamic conditions in power supply from renewable energy in the future.

Enhancing the materials

Alkaline water electrolysis, which is required for the production of hydrogen, has been used in industrial applications for decades. “It works very well under constant conditions,” explains Prof. Michael Bron from the Institute of Chemistry at the university. “However, current systems are not suitable for the variation that comes with using renewable energy.” The electricity from the sun and wind is available in varying cycles; it would reduce the durability of the materials used, which would quickly lose their activity. “We have enhanced the material so that it can withstand these conditions during electrolysis.”

There are highly active catalysts available, such as iridium and platinum, that are better at dealing with a variable energy supply, but they are more expensive. Nickel hydroxide is a more reasonably priced alternative. In order to increase its stability, the material is normally heated to around 300°C, which partially converts it into nickel oxide. Higher temperatures destroy the hydroxide, however, and lead to damage.

The chemists in Prof. Bron’s team went a step further. They heated the material to temperatures as high as 1,000°C in the laboratory and observed the changes under an electron microscope. Then the unexpected happened: the particles were converted into nickel oxide and their structures were enlarged. It was assumed that the material was unsuitable for electrolysis in this condition because, until now, smaller structures were understood to be more active. It then emerged, however, that the particles remained just as active even after they had been heated to a high temperature. This effect evidently only occurs noticeably at very high temperatures. The scientists have identified active oxide defects in the particles as the cause.

Increased efficiency

The effect that Prof. Bron’s team of scientists had discovered was still evident even after 6,000 cycles: the heated particles were still generating 50% more electricity than the untreated particles. “Efficiency was greater and the material’s stability was also much better,” confirms Bron. Electrodes treated in this way are therefore highly suited to large-scale industrial application in the production of green hydrogen.

Of course, the high-temperature stage necessary to achieve this must first be carried out by industrial manufacturers of electrolysis systems, as the university can perform it only on a small scale. Prof. Bron says that company research and development departments, at start-ups or at the Fraunhofer Institutes, now need to get on the case. “Electrolyzers are established systems; I don’t think we need to do a great deal more research because we are already familiar with the materials.” He estimates that the processes could be carried out on a larger scale in as early as one year’s time.

One step closer to Saxony-Anhalt’s aim

This would help Saxony-Anhalt progress toward its aim of becoming a model region for hydrogen. There are already many other development projects underway as Saxony-Anhalt strongly believes in the power of this environmentally friendly source of energy. An innovative strategy for bringing about an energy transformation at town level is being tested in the Energieregion Staßfurt (Energy Region of Staßfurt), the Hydrogen Factory of the Future is being developed in Magdeburg and the railroad technology alliance TRAINS is developing a green railcar in the region of Anhalt. In addition to this, salt caverns in the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park are to be used as high-volume storage space for hydrogen. There are also projects in progress to exploit the great potential of hydrogen as an energy source, a means of energy storage and as a sustainable raw material for the chemical industry. For example, Saxony-Anhalt is supporting the construction of two unique pilot plants at the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP at the Leuna Chemical Park with more than eight million euros provided by the EU and the state government. This is where the electrolysis technology will be further developed for use on an industrial scale and where green hydrogen will be used as a raw material.

A hydrogen village

A hydrogen village in trial operation

In the era of the energy transition, Saxony-Anhalt is demonstrating how buildings can be supplied with heat and power intelligently and efficiently by a green hydrogen network

At the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park Center of Excellence, a new chapter in the story of green hydrogen is beginning. In the H2 test village, the supply infrastructure and the end uses are being tested under real-life conditions. The materials and technologies that enable the fuel to be used to supply energy to buildings also play an important role.

The chemical parks in Leuna, Merseburg and Bitterfeld-Wolfen in central Germany were once synonymous with unpleasant smells and contaminated ground. Now they form part of a model region for hydrogen. Here, the HYPOS consortium (Hydrogen Power Storage & Solutions East Germany) is developing a complete value chain for green hydrogen produced from renewable electricity and is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Twenty20 – Partnership for Innovation program.

Ideal conditions for the hydrogen revolution 

There are good reasons why the model region of the HYPOS network is located in central Germany. The second-longest hydrogen pipeline in Germany runs through Saxony-Anhalt and guarantees the efficient transport of green hydrogen. Other features of the location include the presence of several chemical and fuel companies and huge underground salt caverns that can store enormous quantities of hydrogen. Renewable energy makes up 60 percent of the power consumption in Saxony-Anhalt, which is another reason why the hydrogen village has been located here. Other measures have also been taken, for example, 675 meters of plastic piping has been laid to replace the standard metal pipes.

Natural gas infrastructure is repurposed

In order to demonstrate that the existing natural gas infrastructure can also be used with pure hydrogen, a hydrogen test infrastructure was set up in 2019 on a 12,000 square meter site in the middle of the chemical park.

The end applications for hydrogen are also being investigated here and a range of different consumers are being connected to the H2 network. This includes providing a hydrogen supply to buildings. Anyone who takes one of the guided tours through the hydrogen village during the open day (event.enviam-gruppe.de/hypos-h2-netz) will get an idea of how a residential area could be supplied via an H2 network in the future. To ensure that this does not remain merely a vision, the infrastructure and the use of hydrogen are being evaluated from a technical, financial and environmental perspective on the test site.

H2-Home – Hydrogen-powered combined heat and power plant provides heating and cooling

H2-Home is a HYPOS project that involves, among other things, the development and implementation of a hydrogen fuel cell combined heat and power (CHP) plant for new homes and residential areas. Fuel cell CHP plants can be used not only to heat buildings but also to supply them with electricity, as H2-Home project leader Steffen Theuring from inhouse engineering GmbH explains. The Berlin-based company develops and constructs H2 CHP plants of this kind. “At the moment hydrogen is more expensive to produce than natural gas,” says Theuring, “but the cogeneration of heat and power is highly efficient.” The breakthrough for the company’s research and development department came when it made contact with the HYPOS network. The H2 fuel cell CHP plant known as inhouse5000+ Hydrogen, which was developed as part of a HYPOS project, allows hydrogen to be used to produce electricity and heat for the winter and has an additional heat pump for cooling buildings in the summer. The partners in this HYPOS project are DBI-Gas- und Umwelttechnik GmbH Freiberg, the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, the Fraunhofer IMWS Halle (Saale) and the Berlin-based electronics service provider ENASYS.

Anyone who visits the glowing “green” innovation pavilion in the hydrogen village on either a cold or a hot day will immediately notice that the cogeneration of heating or cooling and power really works.

Smell of sulfur gives a warning

A lot of development work is needed to integrate the hydrogen CHP plant into a building as effectively as possible, according to Steffen Theuring, the project leader. He mentions bringing the connection pressure of the hydrogen close to the pressure of the existing building connection system for natural gas. The hydrogen has to be transported at high pressure in the transmission pipeline and at low pressure in the distribution networks for end users. Enough progress has been made with the development of the H2 CHP plant that it can now provide an emergency electricity supply and function as an independent supply unit.

Steffen Theuring raises the issue of increasing the safety levels in an H2 network, which is the only way of ensuring that hydrogen is accepted by end users. Research is also underway into enabling end users to smell hydrogen, which is actually an odorless gas. An odor is added to the hydrogen that signals danger to almost anyone who smells it. In the H2 village, the fuel cell has been tested with sulfurous smells. “However, the odor must be removed from the hydrogen before it enters the H2 CHP plant,” explains Theuring and adds that this costly process of preparing the gas reduces efficiency and therefore needs to be improved.

Energy on the road in a car trailer

“Until now we have not had an intelligent, decentralized supply infrastructure for industrial and commercial sites with small hydrogen applications,” says Torsten Birth, head of the Energy and Resource-Efficient Systems group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg. The group is running a research project called MMH2P. The acronym includes the terms “mobile,” “modular,” “hydrogen” and “portable.” The prototype of this service storage system is on four wheels and weighs less than a car trailer. It is intended to fill a gap left by the conventional stationary and mobile storage systems in the hydrogen infrastructure and can be used anywhere where H2 producers and consumers are not connected by pipelines and where stationary and transportable liquid and gas storage facilities are not a suitable solution.

The small-scale distribution system will undergo pilot testing in the hydrogen village where it will tap into the H2 network and supply the fuel to H2-Home applications.

Alongside industrial and commercial parks, Torsten Birth believes that other potential customers for the mobile hydrogen storage system include public utility companies and municipalities that need their own supply and police and fire service vehicle fleets.

Author: Kathrain Graubaum/IMG Saxony-Anhalt

World's first underground hydrogen storage facility

Green energy from underground

The world’s first underground hydrogen storage facility is being created in Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt puts the emphasis on green hydrogen in the energy transition. In the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park, the world’s first large-scale trial of power-to-gas, the conversion of climate-neutral wind power into hydrogen, is being held, which involves transforming a salt cavern into a large storage facility. The project is now starting to take shape. 

In Saxony-Anhalt, the energy transition is also happening underground

Around 700 to 900 meters below Goethestadt Bad Lauchstädt in southern Saxony-Anhalt, a cavern in the underground salt rock has been rinsed with brine. The cavern, which forms part of a combined system of caves and warehouse storage belonging to VNG Gasspeicher GmbH (VGS), has a capacity of around 50 million cubic meters. The huge Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig would fit into the cavern twice over. The cavern will be used for storing not natural gas, but green hydrogen. “The world’s first large storage facility for green hydrogen is being created here in the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park. This is also the first attempt to produce hydrogen on this scale from wind energy, store it and process it further,” says Cornelia Müller-Pagel, head of the Green Gases department of the central German gas supply company VNG AG. The storage facility will hold up to 4,500 tons of climate-neutral hydrogen, which is enough to supply 64,000 2-person households with electricity for a year. “It would also enable a fuel cell truck to travel 1,100 times around the equator,” explains Müller-Pagel to give an idea of the quantity of hydrogen that the cavern can hold.

Hydrogen buses, climate-neutral solutions, wind power, storage – it’s all about the energy transition.

The underground hydrogen store is the central feature of the innovative Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park project. This joint project will consist of a large-scale electrolysis plant with a power output of up to 30 MW, where large quantities of water will be converted into oxygen and green hydrogen. In addition, a wind farm will be specially built to generate the climate-friendly electricity needed to manufacture the green hydrogen. A total of six players have come together in the unique Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park project to take part in a large-scale trial, which will evaluate the production, transport, storage and cost-effective use of green hydrogen on an industrial scale for the first time in real-life conditions. The hydrogen is primarily intended for use in the chemical parks in the region.

Bad Lauchstädt, a small town near Halle (Saale), meets the requirements for a large trial, which include an electrolysis plant with a direct connection to a large supply of volatile wind power and the infrastructure for storing and transporting the hydrogen. The features that make this location ideal include plenty of wind for generating electricity, the underground gas storage facility belonging to VGS and the existing infrastructure with gas pipelines and customers, such as the large chemical parks at Leuna and Schkopau, which are part of the nearby Middle German Chemical Triangle.

Living labs for the energy transition

The Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park was one of the ten innovation projects to win the “Living labs for the energy transition” ideas competition launched by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in 2019. Following this success and the subsequent prospect of funding, the scientific preparations and planning for the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park project have now been completed. “The project partners are expecting the Federal Ministry of Education and Research to approve the funding in late summer. That’s when the second phase will begin, which will be divided into two stages. During the next five years, the wind farm, the electrolysis plant and the pipeline will be built and will come into operation. In addition, research will be carried out into important parts of the above-ground facilities. This will be followed by a second construction stage, when the underground storage and the remaining above-ground facilities will be built,” explains Cornelia Müller-Pagel from VNG AG. The total investment amounts to hundreds of millions of euros and the trial operation phase of the entire value chain is likely to last until 2030.  

The VGS has already begun work on the implementation. The cavern in the underground gas storage area has been filled with brine. When the hydrogen is first fed into the cavern full of brine, it will push the brine out. Simply filling the cavern with gas for the first time will take around two years. Before this the underground storage facility has to be converted: “Hydrogen is more diffusible than natural gas. That’s not a problem in the case of the salt rock, which is not permeable. But all the pipelines and fittings both above and below ground will have to be prepared for use with hydrogen,” explains Cornelia Müller-Pagel. This includes a 20-kilometer-long connecting pipeline managed by ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH, a transport company that is a subsidiary of the VNG Group.

Creating a large-scale green hydrogen economy

The companies behind the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park are the VNG subsidiaries VGS and ONTRAS, DBI - Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg, Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH and Uniper Hydrogen GmbH. The large-scale Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park power-to-gas project is also based on preliminary work carried out as part of several research projects under the umbrella of the HYPOS consortium, Hydrogen Power Storage & Solutions East Germany. This consortium, which was founded in 2013 and consists of businesses and research organizations, develops and promotes the creation of a large-scale green hydrogen economy, in particular in central Germany and in Saxony-Anhalt.

In addition, Saxony-Anhalt is a model region in this respect. Companies in the region, and in particular in the Middle German Chemical Triangle, have a long tradition of using hydrogen. A recent study by the German Economic Institute shows that there is no other region of Germany where the hydrogen infrastructure is already so advanced. The chemical sites in central Germany are connected by a 150-kilometer-long hydrogen pipeline. The Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park is one of the flagship projects in Saxony-Anhalt which will allow green hydrogen to be produced successfully on an industrial scale.

Author: Michael Falgowski/IMG Saxony-Anhalt

The hydrogen factory of the future

The Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF has a demand-driven, distributed, modular solution that pro-duces and distributes green hydrogen.

The only way to contain global warming is to slash greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale. Power-to-X technologies are considered a promising means to this end: Electricity sourced from renewables is converted into hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles, for instance. Researchers at the Fraunhofer IFF in Magdeburg are taking this a step further. They are establishing a design for the distributed and modular production and distribution of green hydrogen for industry, business and transportation throughout the value chain with their hydrogen factory of the future. “Electricity sourced from sun and wind is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in a process called electrolysis. The hydrogen is stored and can be converted by fuel cells in vehicles back into electricity that powers them. We primarily have vehicle fleets with vans and forklifts operating in industrial and business parks in mind here,” says Dr. Torsten Birth, a research scientist at Fraunhofer IFF. “We additionally want to supply electricity, gas and heat to industry. The hydrogen produced during electrolysis can be injected into the gas grid, used as fuel, converted into methane or methanol, and made available as industrial feedstock.”

Coupling hydrogen production into a biogas plant

The research scientists are developing modularly expandable subcomponents that can be interconnected and integrated in business and industrial parks, which will enable them to implement their hydrogen factory design. Electrochemical or biochemical processes are used to produce hydrogen, depending on the conditions at the site. “It is not possible to build wind and PV plants everywhere. We are opting for site-specific solutions and using biogas plants for production where possible. Plans for a pilot plant near Gommern in Saxony-Anhalt are on the drawing board. The outcome is always green hydrogen,” the engineer Birth explains.

The Fraunhofer IFF is working together with MicroPro GmbH and Streicher Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG in the HyPerFerMent I project to produce renewable hydrogen from biomass. They are employing a special microbial fermentation process similar to biogas production to produce hydrogen directly from organic waste. The metabolites of certain bacteria produce a gas mixture containing CO₂ and fifty percent H₂, which can be easily purified by subsequently separating the CO₂. “Fermentative production of green hydrogen will play a major role in distributed production of this energy carrier in the future,” says Birth.

A mobile hydrogen filling station for industrial and commercial parks

Researchers at the Fraunhofer IFF have teamed up with Anleg GmbH to build one of the aformentioned subcomponents, the Mobile Modular H₂ Port (MMH₂P), a portable hydrogen filling station for short trips of up to 200 kilometers. Expandable pressure systems with compressors on a trailer can be refilled and can also dispense hydrogen. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project.

Disinfecting with ozone

Since systemically integrated hydrogen production is important to the researchers, they will not only be using the hydrogen produced during electrolysis but also the oxygen – for welding processes or for ozonation in sewage treatment plants, for instance. Troublesome micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides and cosmetics can be removed from wastewater when ozone is introduced. Another use scenario envisions using the oxygen in agriculture to desulfurize biogas plants.

The research team acquired expertise for the implementation of their hydrogen factory in the projects Energieregion Stassfurt 2020 and Energieregion Ostharz. A regional energy plan was implemented in these projects to switch the energy supply in different sectors (power, gas, heat, and transportation) from fossil fuels to regionally produced renewables and renewable sector coupling systems were developed.

Zero-Emission Closed Cycle Engine

The missing building block in the energy transition

Company from Saxony-Anhalt develops zero-emission closed cycle engine  

Back in 1875, Jules Verne wrote: “Water is the coal of the future.” And that future is now imminent. Hydrogen is the building block for a comprehensive energy and mobility transition and demand for hydrogen storage and supply solutions is growing. The Wissenschaftlich-Technisches Zentrum für Motoren- und Maschinenforschung Roßlau (scientific and technical center for engine and machine research or WTZ) has developed a solution of this kind in the form of a zero-emission closed cycle engine and has a number of other green projects in the pipeline.

Two years ago, the jury for the Hugo Junkers award for research and innovation from Saxony-Anhalt was convinced that the zero-emission closed cycle engine could be the missing building block in the energy transition. The WTZ project was awarded first prize in the “Most innovative applied research project” category. This is the world’s first engine of its kind and, in simple terms, it converts renewable hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy and heat using high-pressure electrolysis. Unlike conventional combustion engines, no carbon or nitrogen is involved in the combustion process and therefore no carbon dioxide or nitrogen oxide is produced. This means that no harmful exhaust gases are emitted and the only reaction product from the engine is water.

“We have made an energy conversion machine.”

The engine developers from Saxony-Anhalt see their engine, which is currently available in prototype form, being used initially for reconversion to electricity in the energy industry, in houses with photovoltaic systems and on farms with wind turbines. Project leader Manual Cech explains the biggest benefit of the engine: “Combustion engines powered by natural gas are often used in this context. Our engine runs on green hydrogen instead of fossil fuels.” He describes the system as being like a storage power plant: “When electricity from renewable energy sources is available in large quantities, it can be converted into oxygen and hydrogen using electrolysis and stored temporarily. At times when little or no renewable energy is being generated, the tanks can produce electricity, heat and water. This water is always reused. In principle, our engine is an energy conversion machine that can combine oxygen and hydrogen cost-effectively to produce electricity.”

Junkers as a role model: Developments will become market-ready products

The project grew out of the flagship LocalHy program run by the HYPOS central German research consortium which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. HYPOS, or Hydrogen Power Storage & Solutions East Germany, is developing the entire value chain for converting previously non-storable energy generated from biomass, wind and solar sources into storable hydrogen.

Like their role model Hugo Junkers, who built the first aircraft made entirely from metal in Dessau in 1914 and in 1889 set up a testing station for gas engines to design an engine to produce electrical energy, the WTZ engineers aim to turn their developments into market-ready products. The team from the scientific and technical center, which was founded in 1950, have very close links with the famous engineer and not only in geographical terms. “We see ourselves as the interface between industry and pure research,” says project leader Manuel Cech. The WTZ is cooperating with a number of universities and has good contacts with industrial firms, which have become more aware of the work of the developers in Saxony-Anhalt following the award and a subsequent conference. Many engine manufacturers want to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field of green hydrogen and sustainability at the non-profit research facility in Dessau-Roßlau. The 2019 award-winner is described by Manual Cech as a “living lab.” He goes on to say: “For the first time, we have enabled people to experience what is possible in this area.” The green hydrogen engine is currently in the second phase of ongoing development where the aim is to make the entire system more efficient and bring it up to the same level of performance as existing production engines.

A vision becomes reality: Green hydrogen is fed into the natural gas network

At the same time, the WTZ is initiating and implementing a number of other projects. One of these is currently underway in Sonneberg as part of the H2-Well initiative. This involves more than 40 partners and supporters in the region between the Main and the Elbe which are generating new value creation opportunities with hydrogen technologies. The developers from Saxony-Anhalt are using their green hydrogen engine to supply electricity to the town hall in Sonneberg.

A newly established energy systems department at the research center in Dessau-Roßlau is currently working on reproducing the entire energy cell, in other words storing oxygen and hydrogen efficiently, preventing losses between the individual stages of the process and using the substances to produce heat. “As with everything we do, our overall goal is to move away from fossil fuels,” says Manual Cech. The researchers are working with many companies across the state to achieve this. According to the project leader, “The energy transition represents an opportunity for the whole of Saxony-Anhalt and some projects are already underway.” The WTZ is moving in the same direction and is already turning another vision into reality. This project concerns combined heat and power plants that currently operate on natural gas. As Cech explains, “These need to be able to run on hydrogen very soon and must be converted.” Cech believes that the prospect of feeding green hydrogen into the natural gas network will soon no longer be just a vision. He is confident that “the technology could go into production in the next few years.”

Author: Manuela Bock/IMG Sachsen-Anhalt

Energy Region

Saxony-Anhalt Backs Green Hydrogen: Innovative projects at regional level are driving the energy and mobility transformation forward

Power-to-X technology is seen as a highly promising solution in the effort to achieve carbon neutrality as the process is used to produce hydrogen using renewable electricity. The resulting green hydrogen can be used as fuel, for example. Saxony-Anhalt is backing the use of this powerful environmentally friendly source of energy. An innovative strategy for bringing about an energy transformation at town level is being tested in the Energieregion Staßfurt (Energy Region of Staßfurt), the Hydrogen Factory of the Future is being developed in Magdeburg and the railroad technology alliance TRAINS is developing a green railcar in the region of Anhalt.

The town of Staßfurt in Saxony-Anhalt is pitching into the energy transformation by producing hydrogen in an electrolysis plant powered by electricity from a new wind farm. The hydrogen – the lightest gas in the world – is then added to natural gas and used to heat the town’s housing. Buses and cars in Staßfurt can now fill up with this mixture instead of diesel or gasoline at a fuel pump at the new rest area on the A 14 in Brumby.

Energieregion Staßfurt sets its sights on green mobility

The vision of a green Staßfurt is set to become reality from 2022/23. The wind farm and electrolysis plant for the production of hydrogen are due to be up and running by then. The partners of Energieregion Staßfurt agreed that the green gas would first be used for e-mobility and fed into the gas network. Energieregion Staßfurt is the name of an innovative new strategy in which various forms of renewable energy are brought together and integrated with the mobility sector. “The green electricity is generated locally and the hydrogen is produced, marketed and used locally, too. The hydrogen-power-to-x chain is provided from the region, for the region – a new approach in Germany,” says Dr. Torsten Birth from the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF. The IFF in Magdeburg developed the new, regional strategy for the use of renewable energy at town level on behalf of the Energieregion Staßfurt project partners. These include  the town of Staßfurt, Stadtwerke Staßfurt GmbH (the town’s public utility company), Erdgas Mittelsachsen GmbH (a natural gas provider) and MVV Energie AG (an energy company based in Mannheim).

The municipality, which has a population 25,000, has engaged and is supporting the Energieregion Staßfurt project. “This is an important project that is helping to protect the climate and promote the energy and mobility transformation. It enables companies and private households to use green energy products. For example, citizens will be able to benefit financially from the Energieregion through savings bonds,” says Sven Wagner, Mayor of Staßfurt.

The municipality is of course hoping that this will lead to company location projects and jobs in the sustainable energy sector; in turn, green, regional energy products and new mobility strategies could then be made available to companies and private households. Talks are already underway with short-range transit providers on future possibilities such as introducing hydrogen-powered buses.

Hydrogen Factory of the Future supports e-mobility in the transit sector

 The experiences gained as part of the regional energy strategy Energieregion Staßfurt have also been put to use by the researchers at the Magdeburg Fraunhofer IFF to help develop the Hydrogen Factory of the Future. “Wind farms and photovoltaic systems can’t be built just anywhere. We therefore opt for location-specific solutions and use biogas plants for production if necessary,” explains Dr. Birth. Together with MicroPro GmbH and Streicher Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG, the Fraunhofer IFF is developing a regenerative way to produce hydrogen using biomass. Once the project’s development phase has been successfully completed, the second stage will see a biogas plant near Magdeburg coupled to the production process. This will not only produce hydrogen that can be used on a decentralized basis, but will also increase the performance of the whole plant. “The fermentative production of biohydrogen will play a key role in the decentralized production of this energy source,” says Dr. Birth. As part of the implementation, a mobile filling facility for vehicles will be tested over several periods to refuel hydrogen vehicles with green hydrogen and to demonstrate the entire chain, from biological production through to its use in e-mobility.

In another project, researchers at the Fraunhofer IFF are working with Anleg GmbH to create a mobile, modular system to supply power to hydrogen-powered vehicles for short distances of 200 km or less. The small trailer carries extendable accumulators with compressors that can be refueled and can also function as a mobile gas station by providing hydrogen.

On the basis of the production of green hydrogen from volatile power sources and biomass systems, the Hydrogen Factory of the Future combines production with use in industry, commerce and housing, and provides targeted support to e-mobility in the transit sector, as well as providing heating, electricity and gas.

A model region for green hydrogen 

Saxony-Anhalt is backing green hydrogen. That’s why there are many more development projects underway. For example, the railroad technology alliance TRAINS is working hard in the Anhalt region to advance the fight against climate change in the rail industry. The central project being carried out by the alliance, which comprises more than 50 regional partners, is the retrofitting of existing multiple units with clean gas engines that run on green hydrogen. Just over a year ago, TRAINS received 12.2 million euros of funding from the funding program Wandel durch Innovation in der Region – WIR! (Transformation Through Innovation in the Region) run by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The new, green mobility project based in Saxony-Anhalt came out on top alongside just 20 other projects out of 107 applications from across Germany.

In addition to this, salt caverns in the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park are to be used as high-volume storage space for hydrogen. There are also projects in progress to exploit the great potential of hydrogen as an energy source, a means of energy storage and as a sustainable raw material for the chemical industry. For example, Saxony-Anhalt is supporting the construction of two unique pilot plants at the Fraunhofer Center for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes CBP at the Leuna Chemical Park with more than eight million euros provided by the EU and the state government. This is where the electrolysis technology will be further developed for use on an industrial scale and where green hydrogen will be used as a raw material.

Push Boat

Shipbuilders from Saxony-Anhalt are building the world’s first electric tug for inland waterways 

The world’s first tug to run on battery power and hydrogen fuel cells is currently under construction at a shipyard in Derben on the River Elbe. Named ELEKTRA, the boat is one example of climate- and environment-friendly mobility from Saxony-Anhalt. 

The future of transportation is emission-free – and not just on the road and in the air. It will soon encompass maritime transportation, too, both for goods and passengers.  Companies from every corner of Saxony-Anhalt are rising to the challenge of the New Mobility strand in the state’s Regional Innovation Strategy.

And the Hermann Barthel shipyard in Derben, a district of Elbe-Parey, is among them. A family business founded over 200 years ago, it has built many vessels, some of them up to 80 meters long with a beam of 9 meters and a draft of up to 1.3 meters. The yard’s three-dozen or so workers are currently building an innovative all-electric tug for inland waterway transportation on the River Elbe, the River Havel and Berlin’s network of waterways. The tug, which weighs around 140 metric tons, is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. 

It is based on plans and conceptual studies developed by a team of researchers led by Professor Gerd Holbach, Head of Dynamics of Maritime Systems at the Technical University of Berlin. Eight partners from university research departments and industry have come together to implement the project, including the Hermann Barthel Shipyard with support from other regional businesses. CEO Hermann Barthel wasted no time in getting on board when he was invited to join the pioneering fuel-cell tug project. 

Elektra’s most remarkable innovation compared to conventional tugs is that it has no diesel engine, which means that it gives off no climate-damaging emissions such as carbon dioxide, diesel exhaust and nitrogen oxides. Thanks to cutting-edge lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide batteries from the Netherlands and three low-temperature fuel-cells produced by a Canadian firm, the tug is capable of pushing up to 1,400 metric tons. The batteries, together with the six hydrogen pressure tanks, take up a large proportion of the deck area behind the wheelhouse. This means the 20-meter-long vessel will be some three meters longer than a conventional tug. But that’s not a problem. When attached to the 65-meter-long heavy cargo barge, Ursus, the convoy will be able to navigate all the channels between Berlin and Hamburg. “We anticipate that the tug will be able to travel the roughly 400-kilometer route pushing 1,400 metric tons without having to stop and recharge,” says Professor Holbach. This is because it has the option to switch to the three water-cooled fuel cells. In addition, solar panels on the roof will store electricity in the onboard power supply system. The tug has an ingenious driver assistance system to minimize energy consumption and keep it on schedule as closely as possible.

The customary tug crew of two to three people will still be required, but the only new training needed on top of the existing apprenticeship is the safe handling of hydrogen technology and lithium batteries. 

ELEKTRA is due to be launched at the shipyard in Derben by the end of 2020. It will then be extensively tested on Berlin’s waterways and routes, starting out from its home port, Berlin West Harbour, where its future owner BEHALA (Berliner Hafen und Lagerhausgesellschaft) is headquartered. Going forward, the tug’s tasks will include delivering Siemens gas turbines – produced in Berlin and weighing several hundred tons – to the Port of Hamburg ready for export.

The practical test must prove that the electric tug is not only environment- and climate-friendly but also reliable and competitive compared to conventional inland freighters.  If all goes well it may only be a few years before we see more zero-emission ships in European waters, potentially benefiting people and nature with not only cleaner air but also much lower noise pollution. Unlike conventional marine propulsion engines, fuel cells and batteries are virtually silent when running.

There are current discussions around developing and rolling out “tank stations” where “green” ships could recharge their hydrogen containers and batteries. The industrial port at Magdeburg-Rothensee is ideal for this, as the highway, rail and waterway networks converge in a trimodal hub. Professor Holbach anticipates that freight will not be the only maritime transportation segment to renounce marine diesel. Houseboats and passenger ferries might also see an increasing transition to emission-free drive technologies if political and economic conditions permit more green mobility.  

Hydrogen train

The innovative railroad technology alliance TRAINS is tackling climate change on the railroads in Saxony-Anhalt

The flagship for the future railroad technology region of Anhalt is a train. Or to be exact, a “green” railcar that the Dessauer Verkehrs AG (Dessau’s local transport company) plans to test on the route between Dessau and Wörlitz. This technological innovation will be the first hydrogen train powered by a hydrogen-burning gas engine. The central project being carried out by the railroad technology cluster TRAINS is the retrofitting of existing multiple units with clean gas engines. The alliance is working hard to advance the fight against climate change in the rail industry while also transforming the region of Anhalt, which has a long history of railroad engineering, into a region of cutting-edge technology, creating jobs and promoting environmentally sound and user-friendly mobility in rural areas.

Chosen from 107 applicants

TRAINS was founded more than three years ago with the aim of further developing the Anhalt region. Its founders were the Verein Bahntechnologie Dessau e.V. (Dessau Railroad Technology Association), which numerous railroad engineering companies and institutions in the Anhalt region are part of, and Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. The alliance now boasts more than 50 members, including companies, research institutes, structural planners, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, regional associations and politicians. Just over a year ago, TRAINS was awarded 12.2 million euros of funding by the funding program Wandel durch Innovation in der Region – WIR! (Transformation Through Innovation in the Region) run by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The new, green mobility project based in Saxony-Anhalt came out on top alongside just 20 other projects out of 107 applications from across Germany.

Practical implementation has now begun. The first project, “Studies on Diesel Replacement Solutions for Existing Operational Trains,” began a few days ago. For the next year, engineers and scientists will be developing practical technical solutions for retrofitting diesel engines so that they are suitable for hydrogen combustion. “Until now, there has been no such solution available; previous experiments have been carried out only on truck engines. TRAINS wants to prove that it is economically viable for rail operators to retrofit their fleets with gas engines, helping to get green mobility onto the tracks,” says Sascha Ziesemeier, the TRAINS Alliance Manager from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, the largest university for applied sciences in Saxony-Anhalt. Ziesemeier also explained that the aim is of course for this retrofitting work to take place in the Anhalt region. The alliance includes partners that already have the necessary theoretical and practical expertise for installing gas combustion engines in existing operational trains as part of the energy revolution. They are WTZ Roßlau and the Institute of Mobile Systems at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. KEYOU GmbH is also supporting the conversion of diesel engines to hydrogen combustion engines in Unterschleißheim, just outside of Munich.

The green power of hydrogen

However, the Saxony-Anhalt train will only be a green railcar if it is powered by green hydrogen. The plan is to produce the hydrogen via electrolysis using wind and photovoltaic energy produced by a power-to-gas system. By using green hydrogen as fuel, TRAINS will succeed in integrating the renewable energy sector with the railroad sector. The regional alliance also includes partners that specialize in the production of hydrogen via electrolysis.   

The TRAINS alliance reinforces Anhalt’s expertise in railroad technology. The region’s history of railroad engineering goes back more than 100 years. Toward the end of the GDR, there were some 10,000 people employed in the industry in this area. Following a substantial dip in the 1990s, there are now around 2,500 employees in the industry, working predominately for medium-sized firms and their suppliers. Anhalt is the region surrounding Dessau-Roßlau, Anhalt-Bitterfeld and Wittenberg and has a population of some 390,000; it is one of Germany’s oldest industrial regions. The region continues to be shaped by the chemical, pharmaceutical and aviation industries as well as by mechanical and plant engineering, and by railroad engineering in particular.

“The TRAINS alliance, which is running around 20 sub-projects, is still in its infancy. With the capital provided by the industry companies involved, for example, around 16 million euros will have been invested by 2025,” says Alliance Manager Sascha Ziesemeier.  As part of a further sub-project, scientists at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences are working on a digital project in which the green railcar is fitted with sensor technology so that it can predict possible damage with the help of a digital twin. In addition to the “Studies on Diesel Replacement Solutions,” the construction of the TRAINS Center is also underway. This innovation and service center for railroad technology is where the different parties involved will implement technological developments with the hope of including national research partners, too. It is expected that all of the innovative railroad mobility projects in Saxony-Anhalt will have been implemented by the end of 2025.

Life Cycle of Cells

Institute for Competence in AutoMobility – IKAM GmbH (IKAM) - Research into the lifetimes of fuel cells and battery cells

Charging and discharging, again and again. In professional terms: replenishing an energy carrier on a continuous basis and converting it into electrical energy with a chemical reaction. Also known as "cold combustion", this process describes the general functionality of a fuel cell. "We have now been testing the lifetime of a fuel cell of this kind for more than one-and-a-half years, in the form of a time lapse," as Dr Stefan Schünemann explains. He isn’t able to predict when the testing will be complete, however, i.e. when the cell loses its capacity. Stefan Schünemann is Managing Director of the Institute for Competence in AutoMobility – IKAM GmbH, which has two locations: in Magdeburg and at Barleben Technology Park. The company sees itself as the interface between science and industry in the automotive sector. Together with businesses from Saxony-Anhalt, IKAM tests products from various commercial fields, including electric mobility. In this respect, IKAM manages and oversees strategic collaborations between the participating partners, explains Stefan Schünemann.

At IKAM, fuel cells and battery cells are tested. Both technologies have fundamental differences: the battery is a storage medium for energy, while the fuel cell is a converter of energy. In this context, a fuel cell produces electricity from hydrogen or methanol, for example. "The principle works," explains Stefan Schünemann, "but at the moment it is still too expensive." This means that the manufacturing of cost-effective fuel cells on the basis of mass production remains a future goal. Stefan Schünemann is working with his partners on its achievement, however. BiS-Net is the name of his pet project, which is a network of 25 companies from all over Germany. The strategic orientation of BiS-Net has the objective of closing major development gaps, transferring technology and developing integrated value chains.

Research Examples

Diversity of research – a location advantage

After, all Saxony-Anhalt's research landscape focuses on the requirements of the economy, and not least those of the end customer, when it comes to fuel cells and battery cells from a variety of perspectives... Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, for example, specialises in the field of photovoltaics and measuring the electrochemical storage systems of individual batteries. One of the focal points of the Department of Automation and Informatics at Harz University of Applied Sciences, meanwhile, is research into fuel cells, solar hydrogen storage systems as well as DC drives in the field of power electronics.

The researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) in the capital of the federal state Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg, are developing intelligent systems for energy management and designing integrated manufacturing and logistics networks to enable the safe use of volatile forms of energy. Together with the company Krebs and Aulich GmbH, a three-phase bidirectional on-board charging system with mains-based functions for electric vehicles has been developed for the purpose of intelligent power grid relief – initially in a small series batch for its own vehicle fleet. With the limited company ABO Wind, the Fraunhofer IFF is working with regional business partners on concepts for hydrogen-powered vehicle fleets in commercial use. In addition to this, in the form of a cooperation, the Fraunhofer IFF is currently testing one of the biggest mobile electricity storage systems in Germany. The 1-megawatt battery is housed in a container which is the size of a railway wagon, and it may be able to autonomously supply around 100 normal households with power for twenty-four hours.

Other major research players in Saxony-Anhalt include the Institute for Competence in AutoMobility – IKAM GmbH and the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg.