- TÜV SÜD supports industrial trial
Munich— With its plan to establish real-world laboratories and with launching the HyLand competition, the German government has taken important steps for driving the use of hydrogen in industry and transport.
TÜV SÜD and Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST) have the necessary experience and expertise to support safe harnessing of hydrogen and fuel-cell technology as well as preparation and implementation of relevant projects.
In the energy transition, hydrogen can be used as a storage medium to further advance the integration and use of energy from renewable sources and as a link between energy-consuming sectors. To drive the breakthrough of this important future technology, the Federal German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy aims to trial its industrial use in roughly 20 ”living labs”. In addition, the HyLand competition – part of the National Innovation Programme (NIP) Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell Technology – supports the design and development of integrated concepts and helps to build and strengthen a regional hydrogen economy. “These are important steps”, points out Reiner Block, CEO of TÜV SÜD’s Industry Service Division. “We are convinced that the use of hydrogen in industry and transport will be one of the key success factors of the energy transition – at both national and international level.”
For years, TÜV SÜD and LBST have been supporting the safe use of hydrogen in the chemical and petrochemical industries and in the transport and logistics sectors. “Hydrogen is the ideal storage medium for a broad range of applications”, explains Tom Elliger, Director Energy Storage and Hydrogen, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. “However, the safety requirements that need to be complied with when hydrogen is used as an energy storage system differ from those applicable to petrol, diesel or electricity.” According to Tom Elliger, this requires technical expertise and experience in the planning, manufacturing and testing of the associated technical systems and components. The experts have comprehensive experience in the safety assessment of hydrogen infrastructure such as electrolysers, fuel cells, and hydrogen refuelling stations, but also in the review and examination of concepts and solutions for safe electromobility which use hydrogen as an energy carrier, in transport methods such as buses, logistic vehicles, passenger cars, and trains.
Working together, TÜV SÜD and LBST assist municipalities, regions, and companies in developing safe and economically efficient solutions in hydrogen and fuel-cell technology. TÜV SÜD affiliate LBST can point to a track record of more than three decades as an experienced advisor in the fields of sustainable energy supply and transport. “With our multi-disciplinary expert team, we support international customers from the worlds of industry, finance, politics and professional federations and associations in all issues related to technology, strategy, and sustainability”, explains Dr Uwe Albrecht, Managing Director Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH. For example, LBST worked with Fraunhofer IOSB AST to analyse the demand in infrastructure and the impacts on the German energy system and power distribution networks caused by an introduction of battery- and fuel-cell-powered passenger cars by 2050. “In regional trains, for example, the introduction of drive systems based on fuel cells has already proved successful”, points out Dr Jürgen Heyn, Department Manager Rail Systems, TÜV SÜD Rail GmbH. After the drive systems delivered positive results in practice in a pilot project, regional rail operators have ordered further trains in 2019 – a first worldwide.
The hydrogen and fuel-cell portal www.netinform.de/H2 operated jointly by TÜV SÜD and LBST offers comprehensive information and services for professional users and interested non-professionals. In addition to www.H2stations.org, the portal comprises the website www.H2mobility.org including an overview of all hydrogen vehicles since 1807, extensive technical information and a guide through standards and regulations.
Further information about the services of TÜV SÜD and LBST in this area can be found at: https://www.tuev-sued.de/plants-buildings-technical-facilities/focal-topics/renewable-energies/hydrogen-technology-fuel-cells and http://lbst.de/index_e.html.
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