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Hydrogen electrolysis: Hamburg plans the world's largest facility in the port

2019-09-05T10:04:25.010Z


Hydrogen from green electricity could become a central building block to make the economy climate-neutral. Hamburg now wants to get a globally unique facility in the harbor.



The world's largest hydrogen electrolysis plant with an output of 100 megawatts is to be built in the Port of Hamburg. Talks with potential customers and investors are already well advanced; this year, the final decision on the construction of the plant should fall, said the Hamburg Economic Senator Michael Westhagemann (non-party).

Background for the Senator's advance are the problems in the energy transition, which suffers from lack of storage for electricity. Hydrogen could be a solution for that. If the solar and wind power plants produce more electricity than needed, the excess energy can be used to break down water into oxygen and hydrogen.

The hydrogen then serves as a chemical energy storage. At the same time he could be used as fuel. (Read more here.) The gas could also be used in the production of basic materials; Not far from the port, large factories for steel, aluminum and copper are working in Hamburg.

Green hydrogen as a climate protectorThe cleaner

A 100-megawatt electrolysis to produce hydrogen would be a new technical dimension. At most, the largest plants to date will provide ten megawatts, usually less. According to the plant manufacturer Siemens, such electrolysis would produce about two tons of hydrogen per hour. With this hourly production, a car could drive 200,000 kilometers, a truck 25,000 kilometers. The plant in the Port of Hamburg should be modular, so can be expanded piece by piece.

A lighthouse for Hamburg

"I want to see such a lighthouse here in Hamburg and in northern Germany," said Senator Westhagemann. The construction of the plant would cost a three-digit million amount and should be made possible by grants from the federal government and the EU. Hamburg wants to provide the necessary space.

Especially in the north German states, but also in the Netherlands, there are increasing initiatives that rely on hydrogen as an essential energy source of the future. A common hydrogen strategy of the Northern countries is in the works.

Hydrogen could be regenerated with offshore wind power at sea or on land and then stored or used immediately. This could make more efficient use of the electricity generated on the North Sea.

100 percent green electricity by 2035

"In order to achieve the climate goals, we must decarbonise all sectors of the economy, that is, do without fossil fuels," said Westhagemann. This applies to traffic and mobility as well as to industry and buildings.

The Port of Hamburg is an ideal location for a large electrolysis. At the moment, hydrogen is still expensive, but politics can send out a message that it is behind the technology and massively investing. With larger quantities, hydrogen will also become more economical.

Already in the project Norddeutsche Energiewende (NEW 4.0), Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein are working together with partners from science and industry on the goal of providing the entire region with 100% renewable electricity by 2035. The German government also announced a hydrogen strategy by the end of the year.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2019-09-05

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