Will we all soon be heating with hydrogen? If you ask the science, they say no. But in Bavaria, a pilot project will begin this year to prove the opposite.
Ingolstadt – Whether hydrogen will be suitable for heating in the future is currently the subject of public debate. There are many good arguments against the use of hydrogen, as it is primarily intended to be used for the decarbonization of industry. But gas network operators and energy suppliers do not want to be driven out of the heating business and are pushing ahead with the debate about hydrogen as a substitute for natural gas. In Bavaria, there will even be a pilot project this year to put the new energy source to the test.
Ten households in Bavaria heat with hydrogen
Marcus Böske, head of the gas network operator Energie Südbayern, spoke in the FAZ about his pilot project. According to him, from October of this year, ten households and a carpentry shop in the municipality of Hohenwart near Ingolstadt will be heated with hydrogen. "We want to show that heating with hydrogen works in practice and that it can be a good alternative to heat pumps," Böske is quoted as saying in the FAZ. The green hydrogen, which is produced by electrolysis with solar or wind power, is to be delivered by tankers. The new types of hydrogen heating systems will be made available to households.
Marcus Böske promotes the hydrogen heating systems: They are just as expensive as a conventional natural gas heating system and would only take half a day to be installed. In addition, apartments and houses do not need any further insulation or renovation measures in order to use such a heating system efficiently. "For owners of old buildings, hydrogen heating systems are a great thing," he concludes.
The production hall of the pilot plant for green hydrogen from solar power of the Spanish power producer Iberdrola south of Madrid. © Iberdrola/dpa
But even the proponents of hydrogen heating recognize that anyone who relies on this technology now is taking a risk. It is far from certain that there will ever be enough generation capacity for green hydrogen. According to a survey of various network operators, the FAS writes that many municipal utilities advise consumers not to install such a heating system now.
Gas network operators feel thwarted by the government
However, the gas network operators also note in the FAS survey that the legal requirements in the traffic light heating law are so strict that hydrogen is not even given a chance. According to the law, grid operators would have to draw up a transformation plan as early as 2024 that shows why hydrogen heating systems can function until 2035. And operators must compensate consumers if the plan does not work out in the end.
The gas network operators want to switch to hydrogen, but feel thwarted by the government draft. It is also in their interest – after all, the shutdown of the gas networks would mean billions of dollars in damage. The Bavarian pilot project is therefore accommodating them, possibly showing the potential behind hydrogen. Hope dies last.