HPS

Self-sufficiency solutions get ready for market

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Off-grid living in Germany and Australia

The Australian LAVO ™ module
The Australian LAVO™ module, © Lavo

Energy self-sufficiency, a dream for a number of homeowners, is now gradually becoming a reality. As isolated projects have already demonstrated, it is perfectly feasible to forgo a conventional grid connection and have a property’s entire energy needs met by renewables alone. The technology that makes this possible is on the tipping point of serial production following years of development, a move that could also bring the price down to a more acceptable level in the not too distant future.

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Multi-energy residential systems

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bottles
Hydrogen storage module, © Hörmann Solartechnik

Besides replacing old devices to put in newer, more efficient ones, there also seems to be a trend toward more complex solutions. For example, Sunfire expects that at some point, entire neighborhoods will be supplied with energy through a combination of solar PV, heat pump and large fuel cell devices. These multi-energy residential systems will no longer produce heat and power for individual buildings but several residential units at once.

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HPS to Make Homeowners Energy Self-Sufficient

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Picea
Picea unit at Hannover Messe 2017

It’s not the first time someone has tried to use hydrogen storage for making homes energy self-sufficient. The latest company to make the attempt is Home Power Solutions, based in Berlin, Germany. When HPS unveiled its Picea unit in March 2017 at the ISH in Frankfurt am Main, the press seemed to be all over it. This may have had something to do with HPS’ former parent company, Heliocentris, having filed for bankruptcy shortly before the trade show. H2-international sat down for an interview with the managing directors of HPS during Hannover Messe to talk about the company’s history and new developments.

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Back to the End of the Line?

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Augsten
Photo: E. Augsten

The most important trade show of the heating and sanitation industry, the ISH in Frankfurt, Germany, showed from March 14 through 18 this year what kind of heating systems are in demand these days. Fuel cells did not seem to play much of a role at the event. Only one of the big manufacturers of heating systems made news in this segment, and what for news: Vaillant is on its way out

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Heliocentris Files for Bankruptcy

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heliocentrisAs expected, German Heliocentris Energy Solutions filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of October 2016. After there had been a delay of several days before the required quarterly figures were finally published, an ad hoc notification was sent out on Oct. 11, 2016, saying that the management board of the Berlin-based fuel cell manufacturer would open bankruptcy proceedings before the Berlin-Charlottenburg municipal court for all group companies headquartered in Germany.

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