by Lewitz | Oct 6, 2024 | Asia, Fuel cells, international, Market, Nikola Motors, Stock market, worldwide
The press conference in February 2024 regarding the fourth quarter and the entire year of 2023 has confirmed an optimistic assessment of Nikola Motors. In the past year, 42 TreFCEV trucks were manufactured, of which 35 were delivered in the fourth quarter. These trucks are already in high demand, although there are still supply chain bottlenecks. Nikola plans to sell between 300 and 350 hydrogen trucks in 2024. Notably, the impressive availability of HVIP vouchers is a key advantage, with 99% of the requested 360 vouchers for hydrogen-powered vehicles being sold, offering a subsidy of up to $408,000 per vehicle.
Following the Hannover Messe in April 2024, which placed a strong focus on the hydrogen and fuel cell industry, Nikola has taken smart steps to concentrate on key markets. Particularly in California and Canada, where extensive funding programs exist, the demand for hydrogen vehicles is expected to rise. Through its subsidiary HYLA, Nikola plans to supply critical locations, such as port facilities in California, with hydrogen using mobile refueling stations before establishing permanent stations.
Additionally, Nikola has expanded its partnership with FirstElement Fuel, which operates hydrogen stations at important hubs and supplies 100 to 200 trucks daily with hydrogen. Currently, nine locations within the HYLA program are under development, with the potential for over 60 future hydrogen refueling stations.
The leadership team has also been strengthened. The new CFO, Thomas B. Okray, brings valuable experience from his time at Eaton and Amazon, while Jonathan Pertchik, the new board member, adds his successful track record from TravelCenters of America. These leadership changes are promising and position the company well for upcoming challenges.
With over $460 million in unrestricted cash, Nikola is well-prepared to tackle future challenges. The company is implementing cost-saving measures and optimizing production, which should help reach the break-even point sooner. For 2024, sales targets have been set at 400 to 450 trucks, which corresponds to an expected revenue of $150 to $170 million.
In summary, Nikola Motors is on a promising path. The demand for hydrogen vehicles is increasing, and ongoing innovations in hydrogen infrastructure will further promote the company’s growth.
AI-generated text based on the following sources:
- Nikola Corporation. (2024). Investor Relations.
- Reuters. (2024). Nikola Motors: Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Financial Results.
- Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa). (2024). Current Developments in the Hydrogen Industry
by Hydrogeit | Oct 6, 2024 | Europe, Germany, hydrogen development, international
In the chemical park Leuna, there was an accident involving hydrogen on August 26, 2024. During a deflagration reaction, there was a loud bang followed by a fire in the morning on the premises of the gas producer Linde.
According to information from a press spokesman, there had previously been a gas leakage from a truck trailer. However, those responsible could not say how the gas cloud was ignited. Injuries were none.
As could be seen in press photos, there were clouds of black smoke, as the tires of the truck trailer and a neighboring trailer had caught fire. The fire was under control by midday.
by eaugsten | Sep 12, 2024 | Europe, international, Market, News
Gigawatt production planned in Norway
The Norwegian company REC Solar once produced photovoltaic systems in Narvik. Today, the factory buildings stand empty. With two areas of around 5,000 square meters and cleanroom equipment, they offer good conditions for setting up fuel cell production there. The startup Teco 2030 plans to manufacture PEM fuel cells with a high power density on a gigawatt scale there in just a few years’ time.
Teco 2030 is a spin-off of the Teco Maritime Group, a service provider for “greener” ship transport with 30 years of experience and around 150 employees. It therefore made sense for Teco 2030 to consider ships as one of the first possible areas of application for the new product. The aim is to develop a high-performance fuel cell for maritime use and to produce it on a gigawatt scale. CEO of the spin-off is Teco founder Tore Enger himself.
On board as a partner is AVL, a company with 12,000 employees and headquarters in Austria. The technology developer from the automotive industry knows all about fuel cells and has its own facilities in Graz to develop, simulate, test and optimize them.
In close cooperation, Teco 2030 and AVL have developed a new PEM fuel cell. According to information by the companies, it is unique in its power density and flexibility. For the high power density, especially surrounding the actual stack, the knowledge of the partners and suppliers was pooled. Beckhoff Automation and Harting Technology are two of the German suppliers who are helping to ensure that development continues “at record speed,” as Teco 2030 stressed.
The complete design of the product, from the membrane to the complete system, Teco 2030 and AVL jointly developed. However, both the bipolar plates and the membranes are to be externally manufactured. In Narvik, Norway the components will then be assembled first into cell stacks, then into fuel cell modules and finally into complete systems. At the beginning of April 2024, when a delegation from Hannover Messe visited the site together with journalists, the main things to be seen there were large, empty halls and a few offices. The prototype production fits into a single room.
Shell tanker as first use case
One of the first products will be a fuel cell power generator (FCPG) in the format of a standardized 40-foot container. As part of the research project HyEkoTank, the fuel cell container will have its first practical use on the bitumen tanker Bitflower from Shell. For the design, the Norwegian classification association DNV has given an “approval in principle” (AiP) for employment in a research project on ocean-going vessels.
The fuel cell system can be seamlessly integrated into the switchgear of a ship, according to Teco 2030. The AiP concerns the fuel treatment system, the rooms with the FC modules, the electronics, the battery, the HVAC (high voltage AC) technology, the auxiliaries, the inertization system and the airlock.
The bitumen tanker Bitflower is to be the first ship to drive with a fuel cell from Teco 2030, Source: Shell
The fuel cell is expected to have an output of 2.4 MW, so just under 3,300 hp. That is less than the current engine can deliver, but Teco 2030 stresses that the charter speed of the ship can be maintained with it. “This capacity is sufficient to operate the ship 100 percent emissions-free with hydrogen as fuel, without producing greenhouse gas emissions,” says Tor-Erik Hoftun, Chief Strategy Officer of Teco 2030.
While many FC systems require a relatively large battery as a power buffer for the drive, the new fuel cell should be able to react very flexibly. How large the external battery will ultimately be designed depends on other requirements on the ship. “The fuel cell is dynamic and can replicate the reaction time of diesel engines, which means that the installation can be optimized in terms of external battery size and power strategies,” says Hoftun.
In addition to the fuel cell unit, the system includes an exchangeable tank that can hold 4,000 kg of hydrogen at 350 bar. The tanker can therefore also take new fuel on board in ports that do not have a special infrastructure for hydrogen refueling.
Hydrogen storage, however, has so far been a major limitation of the technology. During a one-week deployment of the ship, it should be possible to provide about 70 percent of the propulsion energy with the fuel cell. During the test, the new components are to be placed on the deck of the ship, so that the diesel engine can remain in place. Where the fuel cell will sit in the future has not yet been determined. Clear, however, is that space on board is always an issue – especially for retrofits. “The system has a compact design to simplify retrofitting at new or existing locations engines were previously installed,” according to Hoftun.
Largest retrofit project
The project is part of the EU program Horizon Europe and is, according to Teco 2030, the largest current retrofit project for a fuel cell ship. Shell wants to invest 5 million USD in the project; from the EU should come 5 million EUR. At the end of the project, Technology Readiness Level 8 should be reached. Teco 2030 assumes that the supply with the standardized fuel cell container can be carried over to many sea-going and inland waterway vessels.
A number of other research projects have been launched in parallel: For a ferry in Croatia, a consortium to which Teco 2030 also belongs received a commitment of over 13 million euros from the EU’s Horizon program in 2023.
In another project, Teco 2030 together with AVL want to demonstrate a retrofit solution for a 40-tonne truck with four 100 kW stacks still in the first half of this year. Another site of construction is the development of a fuel cell generator with 0.6 to 1.6 MW in a smaller container. This should be able to supply on-board power for ships or construction site power as needed. Participating in this project are the Norwegian state-owned enterprise Enova and the Swiss construction company Implenia. If projects in preparation, in the technical concept phase or with outstanding financing are also included, the list of projects extends over several pages.
Ship transport must become greener
To turn research projects into commercial applications, Teco 2030 still has to overcome two hurdles, however, which should not be underestimated: Firstly, production must be set up quickly. And secondly, the technology must assert itself alongside the many alternatives in the dynamic market of sustainable mobility.
As far as the market is concerned, the managers of Teco 2030 are very positive. Political pressure on ship transport companies is growing; they need to make their ships more climate-friendly. In relation to other sources of emissions, maritime transport in the EU was a rather small item, accounting for 3 to 4 percent of CO2 equivalents, but the movement of goods is growing. This is why since January 2024 European emissions trading has also applied to large ships starting from 5,000 gross register tons that harbor in ports within the EU.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) also tightened its climate targets in the summer of 2023: By 2040, greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by at least 70 percent compared to 2008 levels, whereby 80 percent is strived for.
Maybe the strongest pressure is being made by the customers. Many consumers value climate-friendly products. And if, as a result, large corporations such as Amazon or Microsoft insist on climate-neutral transport of their goods, the shipping companies have to come up with something – even if they would have more time according to the laws.
Prototype production in Narvik, Source: Hannover Messe
The Teco managers therefore see a large market for their fuel cells. Their potential analysis is based on a paper by Hydrogen Europe from the year 2021. For this, over 60 types of ships were examined for possible climate-friendly drive technologies. Depending on the application, three types of drive have proven to be economical. Ammonia in combination with solid oxide fuel cells is particularly suitable for heavy ocean tankers. For small ships that have frequent opportunities to refuel, pressurized H2 tanks in combination with PEM fuel cells are the best option. Liquid hydrogen in combination with PEM fuel cells should cover the area in between, in which container ships in particular, but also some large ferries and cruise ships, move.
Of these three fuels, gaseous hydrogen is the cheapest, followed by liquid hydrogen and finally ammonia. The bottom line is that the combination of PEM fuel cells with hydrogen in liquid or gaseous form is the best technology available in terms of total cost of ownership (TCO) for around 77,000 ships worldwide.
But there are also completely different theories, for example in the report by the ship classifier and consulting service provider DNV from the year 2023. Of the new ships ordered by July 2023, only five had a hydrogen drive. The technologies for future decarbonization highlighted in the report are diverse: They include onboard carbon capture, support from wind energy and even nuclear drives. Explicitly mentioned among the fuel cell drives is the solid oxide fuel cell, operated with hydrocarbons or ammonia.
Liquid hydrogen as fuel is also conceivable, explains the report using the example of the Norwegian ferry MS Hydra, which runs on a PEM fuel cell. But the DNV stresses: Compared to other fuels, even liquid hydrogen has a low volumetric energy density. The combination of gaseous hydrogen and PEM fuel cell accordingly doesn’t happen.
Hoftun and Enger are not deterring competition from liquid and near-liquid fuels. As the PEM fuel cell can operate at low pressure, hydrogen can, for example, also be produced on board from ammonia or methanol, they explain. Whether this approach, which combines several non-established technologies on board, will convince the mostly conservative ship transport companies remains to be seen.
Production start planned for 2024
Manual production should start in 2024 if possible, Source: Teco 2030/Hannover Messe
Teco 2030 is still working on the prototype, which has not yet delivered the desired performance on the test stand in Graz. Here too is the optimism high: “We are making good progress and expect to reach full performance on the test bench in a few months’ time,” says Hoftun. As soon as this is achieved, manual production can start in the so far empty halls. This step is planned for the third quarter of 2024. Around the same time, so they hope, will a DNV type approval come. With the initial experience and approval, an automated production line is then to emerge – end of 2025 for the stacks, beginning of 2026 for the whole fuel cell modules.
To be able to set up the largely automated production quickly, Teco 2030 is relying on the experience of ThyssenKrupp, which is to take over the construction of the production line. In 2027, the Norwegians want to reach an annual production capacity of 800 MW. “Unit costs fall as soon as you start reaching economies of scale and robot-assisted production,” says Teco 2030 CEO Tore Enger. And they are set to fall further with every expansion. For the eponymous year 2030, Teco has named a target of 700 euros per kW and an output of 3.2 GW.
“Following the previous investments of around 60 million euros, we assume that we will need a further 40 million euros to achieve the targeted annual production of 800 MW, around 20 million euros of which for the actual production line,” says Enger. Around 4 million USD is to shortly come from India, from infrastructure company Advait Infratech, which also has its own division for green energy and hydrogen technologies. Advait is securing a 51 percent stake in a joint venture that is to produce and market fuel cells in India and South Asia in the future.
Will there be enough skilled workers at the other end of the world, in Narvik, who want to work in a factory 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle? Enger and Hoftun are sure that this will not be a problem either. “We are seeing a lot of interest from professionals in this field who want to move to Narvik,” says Hoftun. They’re relying not only on strong automation, but also on the nearby university and the attracting power of nature in northern Norway. You can practically get on your skis right on your doorstep. And even in the factory hall, the view out of the window is of the Ofotfjord.
The area around Narvik is remote, but popular with nature lovers, Source: Hannover Messe
Norway: Offshore wind energy urgently needed
Norway is known for its very cheap electricity, which comes almost entirely from hydropower. The country is thus also attracting international investors, especially when it comes to green technologies of the future. In Norway is emerging, among other things, battery factories, data centers and a hydrogen economy. But the available hydropower is by no means infinite. While Norway currently exports around a tenth of its electricity, the electricity balance is expected to be neutral starting 2028. In addition to the new factories, electrification is an important driver of electricity consumption. For example, natural gas extracted off the coast is to be electrically compressed into LNG in future. Hydrogen production – both by electrolysis and from natural gas – does not have any significance in the five-year forecasts of the state electricity producer Statnett. It will come later. A massive expansion of wind power generation off the coast should provide a remedy. The first state-tendered project, from this March, is expected to have a capacity of 1.5 GW.
by Hydrogeit | Jul 22, 2024 | Energy storage, Europe, international, News
Europe’s largest port wants to become sustainable
“How quickly can we implement the energy transition?” This question has been posed for some time by the Port of Rotterdam, the largest European sea freight transshipment point. In the past – and still today – the huge industrial area was shaped by the oil and gas industry. Among other things, four large refineries are located there, which now need to be decarbonized. Boudewijn Siemons, CEO and COO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, stated, “If it can be done electrically, it should be – with hydrogen otherwise.”
To drive this transformation process forward, together with the gas supplier Gasunie, the port company is initially dedicating itself to infrastructure, because “infrastructure is an enabler,” as Gasunie CEO Willemien Terpstra states. One of the main projects is a new pipeline system – for hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The new construction of the Hydrogen Backbone (H2) as well as the Porthos pipe system (CO2) started in October 2023 with the groundbreaking ceremony by the Dutch king Willem-Alexander.
The port is receiving significant political support. “I see a government that is really working to remove obstacles,” says the port head. This also benefits Germany, where a large proportion of the energy supplied will be forwarded. Accordingly, the Netherlands also sees Germany as the main customer for hydrogen –particularly the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The time of waiting is over, because large coal-fired power plants in the port will be shut down in 2030 (see Fig. 2). However, eliminating CO2 emissions from fossil fuels is only one path to reducing carbon dioxide emissions 55 percent by 2030. In addition to increasing efficiency, negative CO2 emissions will also be necessary, so the carbon dioxide produced must be stored using CCS (carbon capture & storage). “If we want to reduce CO2 emissions, there is no way around CCS,” according to Siemons.
Fig. 2: The coal-fired power plant located behind the substation will be shut down by 2030
The goal is CO2 neutrality by 2050. By then, the approximately 100 million tonnes of crude oil imported annually in Rotterdam are to be replaced by other media. For example, around 15 million tonnes of oil are to be substituted by 20 million tonnes of hydrogen, whereby about 90 percent of the hydrogen required will be imported.
As to the question of how long the planned “temporary use of blue hydrogen” could last, the answer came clear: “Decades.” Blue hydrogen or “low-carbon hydrogen,” as it and other non-green H2 compositions have been called for some time now, are to serve as the initial spark for building an H2 economy. It is already clear today that the associated lock-in effects will be considerable, as the billions invested are to be amortized over at least 15 years.
The capture of CO2 is only part of the task to be accomplished. Extracting small amounts of carbon dioxide from a gas stream is still relatively simple and efficient, but the larger the percentage is to be, the more complex it becomes. The port has initial experience in this area: For example, CO2 is already being captured there and used in greenhouses to improve plant growth. Ulrich Bünger from the energy consulting company LBST is nevertheless skeptical and stated in Rotterdam that CCS is still a long way from being where it is supposed to be. There is “hardly any experience,” according to the energy expert, while the impression is given that the technology is tried and tested.
Infrastructure is key
For the infrastructure and its operators, it doesn’t matter how the hydrogen was produced. Willemien Terpstra, CEO of gas transmission company Gasunie, said on the matter: “We are ready to transport any color.” Accordingly, Gasunie already made the final investment decision for the pipeline construction last year, although only five percent of the capacity has been sold so far, as the appointed CEO since March 2024 has explained. Of course, the government’s strong commitment was decisive here, which is contributing 50 percent of the costs. The aim is to jointly complete the pipe system by 2030, which will then be able to provide 10 GW of power.
Shell refinery in Port of Rotterdam
To H2-international’s inquiry of how the hydrogen would be transported to Rotterdam, CEO Boudewijn Siemons named all the options: ammonia, methanol, LH2 and LOHC – No variant is excluded from the outset. When asked whether the port company could handle large quantities of ammonia safely, Siemons initially hesitated briefly, but then replied confidently, “Yes, I think we can do that. I’m pretty sure of that.” At the same time, however, he conceded that “not every place in the port” is suitable.
As ammonia tanks have been present in the port for a long time, the corresponding expertise already exists. The plan is to triple the storage capacity for ammonia in the next few years compared to 2023. However, such a change in fuels and energy storage media is unlikely to significantly alter the appearance of the world’s eleventh largest port, the operators are certain. Even though the media will be different, many installations will look similar to before. It is already clear today that an infrastructure for LOHC and LH2 is also being developed. Corresponding partnerships with Chiyoda and Hydrogenious already exist.
200‑MW electrolyzer from Shell
The highlight in the harbor, however, is Holland Hydrogen 1 (see Fig. 1), a 200‑MW electrolyzer that is dimensioned in such a way that the green hydrogen produced with the help of wind turbines can then replace the amount of gray hydrogen so far required in the port. The electricity required is sourced from a 759‑MW offshore wind farm (Hollandse Kust Noord) north of Rotterdam, which is directly connected. In order to meet all EU regulations, H2 production (approx. 20,000 tonnes per year) will follow the respective wind supply, even if this means that the electrolyzers cannot run 24/7.
For this project, for which the final investment decision has already been made, Shell received this year’s Green Hydrogen Project Award during the World Hydrogen Summit. The area on which the in total ten 20‑MW electrolyzer modules from Thyssenkrupp Nucera is to be installed is what’s called “proclaimed land” that was wrested from the North Sea. Where the conversion park is being built used to be water. However, it is likely to take until the end of the decade before it goes into operation. In the future, also Holland Hydrogen 2 could follow – a second area with likewise 200 MW. By 2030, this could already be 2 GW.
The H2 pipes (black) and the CO2 pipes (white) are sometimes only 40 cm apart
The corresponding H2 pipeline, which is currently under construction, will then connect the H2 production facility with the various refineries and other customers. Sufficient wind for green hydrogen production is available in Rotterdam. In the port area alone 300 MW of wind power are installed. As this is more electricity than is needed, a large stationary accumulator has already been installed, to be able to temporarily store at least some of this green electricity.
The hydrogen tubes measure 1.2 m (48 inches) in diameter and are pressurized with 30 to 50 bar. The construction of the first 30 kilometers across the port is costing 100 million euros. The entire H2 Backbone network within the Netherlands (1,100 km) is expected to cost 1.5 to 2 billion euros. However, 85 percent of the future H2 pipeline system will consist of repurposed natural gas pipes.
Parallel in construction is the CO2 pipeline Porthos. This pipe system connects numerous locations in the port with the platform off the coast, via which the carbon dioxide is then to be fed into subsea gas fields.
The H2 pipes for the Hydrogen Backbone are ready and are currently being placed underground
Future Land informs about H2 activities
To be able to inform about all these activities, the port has set up “Future Land,” a contact point for tourists, school classes, the press and investors, where they can get answers to their questions about the future of the port. The information center is located right below the world’s largest wind turbine. The Haliade-X 13 is 260 m high (853 ft) and has an output of 14 megawatts. It is designed for offshore wind farms in the North Sea, but has been tested on land since 2021 and can supply six million households with electricity.
In view of the fact that a third of the energy required in Germany comes into the country via Rotterdam, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated: “If the Port of Rotterdam is doing well, the European economy is doing well.”
Author: Sven Geitmann
by Monika Roessiger | Jul 22, 2024 | Europe, Germany, international, News, Policy, worldwide
Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe
The atmosphere was good. Not ecstatic, as was sometimes the case last year, but certainly lively. Especially in Hall 13, where the Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe event took place, where the aisles well filled and the babble of voices was much louder than in the other halls on the exhibition grounds. Nevertheless, the impression remains that also in the 30th year of this H2 fair, the market breakthrough is still a long time coming and will happen “in only five years,” as has been said for 20 years.
Hannover Messe still lays claim to being the world’s most important industrial trade fair – according to Dr. Jochen Köckler, the board chairman of Deutsche Messe AG, it is even the “mother of all trade fairs.” As in previous years, it also benefited from April 22 to 26, 2024 immensely from the current H2 boom. The great interest in hydrogen and fuel cell technology once again led to acceptable exhibitor and visitor numbers. New impetus as an indication of the direction in which the traditional trade fair business could develop there were however none.
It could be said that the H2 fair has once again rescued Deutsche Messe’s balance sheet.
Chancellor Scholz visits H2 businesses
Not without reason did German chancellor Olaf Scholz give Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe a visit. The focus of his opening tour lay in the energy halls, where he stopped at Salzgitter (“We’re proceeding together on the trip” – see Fig. 2) as well as by GP Joule. Ove Petersen, cofounder and one of the managing directors of GP Joule, stressed how important the improvement of political framework conditions are to actually be able to establish electrolyzer capacities (see also p. 18).
Chancellor O. Scholz with the Norwegian Minister-President J. G. Støre, Salzgitter head G. Groebler, Minister-President of Niedersachsen S. Weil, Norwegian economy minister C. Myrseth, German family minister L. Paus and German research minister B. Stark-Watzinger
Revealing word choice
Interesting to observe was how the word choice of some areas changed. For example, in numerous lectures were again and again talk of “Low-Carbon-Wasserstoff” (low-carbon hydrogen). With this crafted word, the speakers smoothly circumvent the classification of hydrogen into the, by some, really unpopular color scale. “Low-Carbon” implies that during the H2 production, little carbon dioxide is emitted, but avoids a stigmatization by the attribute “gray,” “blue” or “turquoise,” since even the smallest blending with green hydrogen is enough to be able to designate it as low-carbon.
Green or blue
For Olaf Lies, the state of Niedersachen’s economy minister, blue hydrogen is “a huge matter for achieving the climate targets.” In view of the tiresome discussion about color, he pointed out in Hannover that nobody asks about the color of electricity. “This must also be the case with hydrogen,” according to the minister.
Another innovation in the language style seems to concern the working principle in the hydrogen economy: Ever more frequently heard are sentences (in English), like “Partnership is the new leadership” or “Cooperation is key.” More and more players are realizing that the transformation process currently underway in the energy sector cannot be mastered alone, but only together.
What’s remained the same, in contrast, is the time horizon until the market ramp-up. Here we are still at five years. While in recent years it was still said that H2 trucks would be built in series starting 2025, representatives of the vehicle industry made it very clear that significant unit sales could not be expected in Germany until 2029 the earliest. Different is the situation in Asia: Refire advertised, for example, that it could already build 5,000 fuel cell systems per year.
After all, Dr. Matthias Jurytko, CEO of Cellcentric committed himself both to H2 technology and to Germany as a business location by saying: “Many talk about factories – We’re building one.” He also clarified: “Hydrogen will be the driver for long-haul transport.” At the same time, however, he conceded: “An increase in unit sales will not come until 2029/30.”
Dr. Jurytko: “There will be no long-haul transport without hydrogen.”
At around the same time, gray hydrogen could be just as expensive as green hydrogen due to rising CO2 prices, anticipates Gilles Le Van from Air Liquide.
Lively exchange in the forums
In addition, in the Public Forum of Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe (see Fig. 3 and 4), exhibitors once again explained their new developments this year or discussed them with guests from industry and politics. For example, what framework conditions or incentives for sector coupling and flexibilization of energy consumption are still lacking, or where and how green hydrogen will be produced in sufficiently large quantities worldwide.
Also the question of how much hydrogen Germany will produce itself and how much will be imported from its European neighbors moderator Ulrich Walter discussed with various guests. Christian Maaß, head of the department for energy policy at the federal economy ministry (BMWK), cited estimates that Germany could produce just under half of its climate-neutral hydrogen requirements itself, with the remainder having to be imported.
When asked by the moderator why the electrolysis capacities would not be immediately increased to 20 GW by 2030, replied Maaß, “With higher targets I would be careful, as electrolyzers need a lot of electricity.” He therefore advocates aligning the production of green H2 with the expansion of renewable energy. Not least to avoid conflicting objectives, because the direct consumption of green electricity should have priority. In this respect, he assumes that large quantities of green hydrogen will probably be imported from overseas, in the form of ammonia, methane and SAF (sustainable aviation fuel). Overall, however, Germany will need around ten percent of the world’s H2 production, making it a global player.
A completely different view is held by Heinrich Gärtner, founder and CTO of the GP Joule Group. He was convinced “that we can produce much more green hydrogen domestically than we today think,” and explained: “We already have a large potential for renewable energies, and this is continuing to grow. This also increases the amount of surplus electricity that can be used to produce hydrogen using electrolysis.” This is not only sensible, but also necessary. This relieves the strain on the grids and enables local value creation. In his view, Germany only needs a tiny proportion of its land area to produce all the renewable energy it needs itself. “We have everything here: the technology and the infrastructure.”
Numerous political representatives were on hand to answer questions
Cooperation in the European Area
Werner Diwald, chairman of the German hydrogen association (DWV), said, “The EU member states should be our main importing countries, not least to strengthen mutual relations and support stability within the European Union.” He also expressed optimism that the hydrogen economy could be ramped up quickly once a market and corresponding business models were in place. Something similar has already been seen with renewable energies. It should not be forgotten: The whole world needs green hydrogen. Germany therefore has a lot of competition, as other countries are also pursuing their own H2 strategies, according to Diwald.
The politicians present proved that the envisaged transformation process has long been underway with some impressive figures: For example, Olaf Lies spoke about 30 large gas-fired power plants in Niedersachsen that are to be made H2-ready. And his colleague Mona Neubaur, economy minister of Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW), announced 200 hydrogen refueling stations by 2030. “We’re placing the infrastructure in the region with precision.” She asserted that NRW is to become the first CO2-neutral industrial region.
Hermes Startup Award: And the winner is …
As every year, the trade fair awards a prize to a particularly innovative company that is no more than five years old. For 2024, the Hermes Startup Award went to Archigas from Rüsselsheim, Germany. The company received the award for a moisture-resistant sensor for measuring hydrogen. The principle, which was developed together with the university Hochschule RheinMain, is based, according to the manufacturer, on an improved measurement of thermal conductivity on a microchip. The innovative technology is characterized by “miniaturization, robust design, short measuring times and a wide range of applications,” praised Prof. Holger Hanselka, president of the Fraunhofer research institutes and chair of the jury for the Hermes Startup Awards. Archigas is an “excellent example for innovation-driven businesses,” which have created the basis for the hydrogen economy to form.
Norway as a pioneer for green industrial transformation
The partner country Norway was represented with its own pavilion on the topics of energy, process industry, battery and charging solutions, and digitalization in Hall 12 and also on the orange carpet of the H2 trade fair – with the (English) slogan “Pioneering the Green Industrial Transition.” As an energy producer and pioneer in e-mobility, the Scandinavian country sees itself as a kind of catalyst for accelerating the green transition to a low-carbon society. For example, in the development of renewable energies and the use of digital solutions to trim the industry to net zero, as the H2 expert and former LBST employee Ulrich Bünger explained, who in “retirement” advises Norwegian Energy Partners (Norwep). The aim is to produce around four percent of Europe’s estimated ten million tonnes of hydrogen imports by 2030.
“Norway and Germany are important trading partners, and we have entered into a strategic industrial partnership for renewable energy and green industry,” said the Norwegian trade and industry minister Jan Christian Vestre in the opening of the fair. “We hope that the Norwegian presence at Hannover Messe will further strengthen this close cooperation between our two countries,” he said.
Honda showed its new FC system
The EEA (European Economic Area) Agreement means that Norway is fully integrated into the European single market, so trade and investment should flow seamlessly between Norway, Germany and the other countries of the European Union. During the trade fair, Germany also concluded an agreement with its Scandinavian partner on the storage of carbon dioxide (carbon capture and storage, CCS).
A major order was able to be announced by Norwegian manufacturer of hydrogen storage systems Hexagon Purus. Starting the second quarter of 2024, it will supply H2 tanks to the Berlin-based company Home Power Solutions (HPS), which claims to have developed the world’s first year-round electricity storage system for buildings. The Picea system will be primarily used in single-family homes in combination with PV modules. Surplus solar power, which is mainly generated in summer, will be converted into green hydrogen using an electrolyzer, which will be stored in high-pressure tanks from Hexagon. In winter, this is then used for reconversion to electricity. According to information from HPS, this allows buildings to be supplied with solar energy all year round. “Our high-pressure hydrogen tanks are flexible and scalable, making them suitable for a wide range of applications,” such as with HPS, said Matthias Kötter, managing director of the location in Weeze.
Creativity and inventiveness in Hall 13
A product innovation was presented for example by SFC Energy with the EFOY H2PowerPack X50, a pilot series for the most powerful fuel cell system to date with up to 200 kW in cluster operation. According to the FC specialist from Bavaria, this latest development offers the user a continuous electrical output power of 50 kW. However, up to four of these H2PowerPacks can be connected together to reach an output of 200 kW. The environmentally and climate-friendly alternative to diesel generators is equipped with standard 400 V AC connections, an integrated lithium battery and a 300‑bar hydrogen interface.
The operation is, according to information from the manufacturer, emissions-free; no CO2, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides or fine particles are emitted. Likely applications include the emergency power supply of hospitals or communication and IT systems, mobile power supply for construction sites and events or a continuous power supply for self-sufficient companies. “With the push into higher performance classes, SFC Energy is responding to correspondingly high market demand,” announced the company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Brunnthal near Munich. The series production and market introduction are planned for the beginning of 2025.
This year’s H2 Eco Award went to the energy park Bad Lauchstädt
Lhyfe expands
What the hydrogen ramp-up looks like from the perspective of the Lhyfe Group, which now operates in eleven European countries, was reported by Luc Graré, who heads the Central and Eastern Europe division: “We are right now scaling up our production.” He describes the philosophy of the hydrogen pioneer, which was founded in 2017, as follows: “We start small, learn, grow, learn again, grow further and then scale up.” After the company started with an electrolysis capacity of one megawatt in France, it is now 10 MW.
Currently, six production plants for green hydrogen are planned or in the construction phase: Three in France, three in Germany. “And it will be increasingly more,” he said. A 10‑MW plant is currently under construction in the Niedersachen port town of Brake (on the Unterweser). Up to 1,150 tonnes of green H2 are to be produced there annually, which will go to regional customers from the industrial and transport sectors. The company has secured the purchase of green electricity through long-term electricity contracts (PPAs) with operators of wind farms and photovoltaic systems.
Another 10‑MW plant has been under construction in Schwäbisch Gmünd in Baden-Württemberg since autumn 2023, and is scheduled to go into operation in the second half of this year – with a production of up to four tonnes of green hydrogen per day. Still under development is the plan to commission an 800‑MW plant in Lubmin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by 2029, which is to be built on the site of the decommissioned nuclear power plant. According to information from Lhyfe, the hydrogen produced there in the future could be fed into the emerging hydrogen network.
Formic acid as H2 storage
Even outside Hall 13 was a lot about hydrogen. At some stands it looked like a chemistry lab, with bubbling water in glass vessels or a cloudy nutrient liquid in transparent bioreactors. With one, Festo, in Hall 7 showed its latest achievement in H2 storage: the so-called BionicHydrogenBattery (see Fig. 7). It contains bacteria from Lake Kivu in Central Africa that convert hydrogen into formic acid in a natural process. In this chemically bound form, hydrogen is comparatively easy to store and transport. It is also more climate-friendly, as there is no need for energy-intensive compression or cooling to ‑253 °C to liquefy hydrogen. The conditions under which the microorganisms do their work are moderate: They need a temperature of 65 °C and a pressure of 1.5 bar.
The cultivation reactor of the BionicHydrogenBattery from Festo
Normally, the bacteria called Thermoanaerobacter kivui live in sludge in the absence of oxygen (anaerobe). They have an enzyme with which they can convert hydrogen and carbon dioxide into formic acid (CH2O2). They can also reverse the process. The basic research in this area was carried out by the team around Volker Müller, Professor at the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and head of the department of molecular microbiology and bioenergetics, with which the bionic project team of Festo, according to its information, is working closely.
From an economic point of view, the exciting thing about this biological process is not only the speed of the reaction, but also the fact that the bacteria act as catalysts: “They are not used up,” stated the globally active company specialized in automation technology and founded in Esslingen 1925. “The process can be repeated at will with sufficient regeneration phases – just like a cycle,” they stated. As the reaction can take place in both directions, bacteria of this type are able to break down formic acid back into hydrogen and carbon dioxide at the target site. The CO2 can then be used in the beverage industry, for example.
Positive conclusion
At the closing press conference, Jochen Köckler came to, as expected, a positive tally: More than 130,000 visitors from over 150 countries met 4,000 exhibitors from 60 countries. Of these, 40 percent of the visitors came from abroad: most of them from China and the neighboring Netherlands, followed by the USA, Korea and Japan. Gunnhild Brumm from the Norwegian business development organization Innovation Norway was pleased about the good business and contract conclusions: “In short: It was really worth it! It was a real boost for us. We would love to come back.” Not as a partner country again, of course, because next year that will be Canada.
“We are laying the foundations for the H2 economy of the future…. The speed of artificial intelligence (AI) is too high in some places, but we absolutely need more speed for hydrogen.”
Dr. Jochen Köckler, chairman of Deutsche Messe
Authors: Monika Rößiger & Sven Geitmann
by Lewitz | Jun 13, 2024 | Energy storage, international, News
Solar Global operates electrolyzer plant in Czech Republic
An electrolyzer in the town of Napajedla in southeastern Czech Republic has produced the country’s first green hydrogen from solar power. The industrial green hydrogen production facility is run by Solar Global, one of the leading companies in the Czech renewables sector.
This hydrogen plant should be seen primarily as a pioneering initiative since its capacity of 230 kilowatts is relatively low. It can consume up to 246 megawatt-hours per year of electricity. The power is sourced from a photovoltaic plant with a peak capacity of 611 kW. Battery storage is used to buffer the discrepancies between generation and consumption. In line with the Czech hydrogen strategy, most of the hydrogen ends up as fuel.
“Green hydrogen produced in this way can be used at the refueling station in Napajedla to fill up not just trucks and buses, but also cars with environmentally friendly hydrogen propulsion,” explained Vítězslav Skopal, owner of Solar Global Group. According to Solar Global, the plant can supply around 8 metric tons (8.8 US tons) of green hydrogen. This is enough to enable a car to travel 800,000 kilometers (500,000 miles) and a hydrogen bus to travel 80,000 kilometers (50,000 miles).
Covering the entire value chain
Hydrogen production is expected to develop gradually into a major area of industry in the Czech Republic. As this happens, the Solar Global Group foresees an entire value chain developing alongside it. In addition to hydrogen production, the company has its sights set on the operation of vehicles equipped with fuel cells. Ultimately, the corporation also wants to get involved in the supply of hydrogen via refueling stations. “Of course all this depends on the building of other requisite technologies, in other words hydrogen compression, storage and refueling stations, and these are the next stages of our pilot project,” said Skopal.
The production of the country’s first kilogram of hydrogen was funded by the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic or SEF CR, which has been in existence since 1992. So far the environment ministry has financially supported four electrolyzers from the environment fund. “Two further projects are under examination,” stated Lucie Früblingová, spokeswoman for the state environment fund. The schemes under which hydrogen projects can receive support are currently being widened. The number of assisted projects and the amount distributed in subsidies are set to rise in the future.
Traditional producers look to green hydrogen
Among those due to receive funding is Orlen Unipetrol, the Czech Republic’s largest producer of “gray,” fossil-based hydrogen. The company, which is part of Polish petroleum giant Orlen, intends to install an electrolyzer in conjunction with a solar power plant in Litvínov. Groundwork will begin sometime between 2024 and 2025, with the production of green hydrogen slated to start at the end of 2028. However, Unipetrol is well aware that its own production can only cover a fraction of its hydrogen demand and is already considering hydrogen imports.
Another electrolyzer being aided by the environment fund belongs to the Sev.en Energy Group. The mining company operates what was once the extensive opencast brown coal mine in Most, Komořany, which will soon be exhausted, as well as the associated coal power plants. Sev.en is planning a massive expansion in solar power plants totaling 120 MW. The proposals include a 17.5-MW electrolyzer that will manufacture 360 metric tons (400 US tons) of green hydrogen a year starting in 2027. The costs for the hydrogen system, according to Sev.en’s head of transformation Pavel Farkač, run to around CZK 700 million, which equates to EUR 28.5 million, a substantial proportion of which is to be covered by subsidies from the environment fund.
In October 2023, the Czech government presented the draft of an energy and climate plan for the years leading up to 2030. The press release from the environment ministry stated that the use of hydrogen would increase within industry and the mobility sector by the end of the decade. The plan also foresees that electricity derived from brown coal will no longer be exported.
Author: Aleksandra Fedorska
National hydrogen strategy for the Czech Republic: www.hytep.cz/images/dokumenty-ke-stazeni/Czech_Hydrogen_Strategy_2021.pdf
