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Field Testing the First Hydrogen Cogeneration Plant in Northern Germany

By November 24, 2019 3   min read  (516 words)

November 24, 2019 |

Hanse Werk Hydrogen CHP

HanseWerk Group relies on green hydrogen for climate protection and a successful energy turnaround – further H2 projects under preparation

The Hamburg-based heat provider HanseWerk Natur and the solution provider of gas engines INNIO Jenbacher are launching a flagship project for the first time in northern Germany to operate a fully hydrogen-based combined heat and power plant ( CHP) in the power class of one megawatt (MW). Matthias Boxberger, CEO of the HanseWerk Group, and Carlos Lange, President and CEO of INNIO, have signed an agreement in Hamburg.

For the field test, a natural gas-fired CHP will be converted for the initially temporary operation with 100 percent hydrogen. The CHP is in the parking garage of the UCI cinema center in Hamburg Othmarschen. It is part of a heat network in Bahrenfeld – HanseWerk Natur supplies 30 residential buildings, a sports and day-care center and the leisure center “Othmarschen Park” with local heating.

HanseWerk Nature provides 13,000-megawatt hours of heat each year. The CHP module with an electrical output of 999 kilowatts (kW) and 1,300 kW of thermal power is currently under construction and will be commissioned in the first quarter of 2020. HanseWerk Nature is investing more than two million euros in this regard. Additional investments are planned for the conversion of the plant to 100% hydrogen.

“The engine will initially be converted to hydrogen operation during the test. After that, we will simulate the addition of hydrogen to the natural gas network. The aim is to identify possible effects on the operation of gas engine CHPs and thereby derive further measures. “, Matthias Boxberger said during the contract signing. “This project is another component of our hydrogen strategy, which sees hydrogen as an important building block for more climate protection and contributes to the hydrogen strategy of the northern German states.”

“Together with HanseWerk AG, we are setting the course for a greener, safer, more flexible and more decentralized energy future for Hamburg,” said Carlos Lange, President and CEO of INNIO. “As one of the leading solution providers of gas engines in Germany, we continue to invest in new technologies such as green hydrogen. We are proud to be able to develop this innovative flagship project, that the energy transition takes us a step further towards decarbonisation, together with HanseWerk AG. ”

Parallel to this project, the HanseWerk Group is participating in a field test conducted by the sister company Avacon, which plans to add 20 percent hydrogen to the natural gas grid. In addition, in the summer the HanseWerk subsidiary Schleswig-Holstein Netz put into operation the first green hydrogen feed plant in Schleswig-Holstein.

HanseWerk Natur operates around 140 local heating networks throughout Northern Germany, especially in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The heat recovery in these networks is partly based on natural gas, biogas or biomethane. HanseWerk Naturals also operates plants that run on wood pellets. In addition, HanseWerk Natur has specialized in utilizing waste heat from industrial processes or waste recycling so that it is not lost. Two-thirds of the electricity generated in combined heat and power plants is biogas or bio-natural gas.

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