Green hydrogen for decentralized energy supply

The integration of renewable energy sources into electricity generation poses major challenges for existing electricity networks because they were previously geared towards the operation of centralized large-scale producers. A promising way to increase the security of supply in decentralized power grids is to produce green hydrogen. Hereby, smoothing out peaks in supply and demand can be significantly optimized by generating and subsequently converting hydrogen back into electricity.

In the context of these challenges, the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven (HLB), a research project at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, offers a highly innovative test infrastructure that allows scientists to investigate the interaction between a wind turbine facility and an electrolyzer under real-life conditions. Wenger Engineering GmbH is the general contractor for the project. This close cooperation between research institutions and industry will make a significant contribution to the development and implementation of efficient solutions for a sustainable energy future.

The one megawatt ME450 PEM electrolyzer from H-TEC SYSTEMS is part of a test field which focuses on researching the interaction of wind turbines with electrolytic hydrogen production. PEM electrolysis is ideal for this as this technology can deal particularly well with fluctuating energy sources such as wind energy. The electricity required for the electrolysis process is provided by an on-site wind turbine installation.

A key focus of the research work carried out at HLB is on the deep cross-sector integration of electrolysis which includes the use of by-products as well as the utilization of reconversion technologies for off-grid and grid-supporting applications. These studies contribute to integrating hydrogen technologies into the national and international energy and economic system along with accelerating the production of green hydrogen.