Green hydrogen: heating in winter with summer sun

Reference project EUH2STARS makes Upper Austria the center of European seasonal storage of solar and wind power
EU funding for the development of market-ready hydrogen storage in underground gas deposits and the development of infrastructure around hydrogen storage
Renewables become reliable and base load capable - summer sun in the form of hydrogen can be used all year round - without CO2 emissions
Decoupling the production of renewable energy from its short-term consumption creates year-round security of supply
Generate, store, transport and use green hydrogen all year round

In the European reference project EUH2STARS, the consortium leader RAG Austria AG, together with LINZ AG, AGGM Austrian Gas Grid Management AG, Axiom and the Energy Institute at the JKU Linz in the Austrian part of the project, using the example of the greater Linz area, shows for the first time how metropolitan areas can be safe all year round can use the summer sun in the winter in the form of green heat and electricity - without any CO2 emissions. As part of the Horizon Europe Framework Program (HORIZON) call for proposals to investigate and scale up large-volume underground storage of hydrogen, the EUH2STARS project, submitted on an Austrian initiative, managed to receive funding of around 20 million euros. The EUH2STARS consortium with its complementary competencies in various disciplines, led by RAG Austria AG, not only covers the entire value chain of hydrogen storage - from the heart of storage (RAG Austria AG, Shell Global Solutions International BV/Netherlands, Energie Beheer Nederland BV/Netherlands , Hungarian Gas Storage/Hungary, Trinity Capital SL/Spain), hydrogen processing (Axiom applied Process Technology GmbH, Axiom Polska Sp.z oo), to the transport networks (AGGM) to energy suppliers (LINZ AG) - but also integrates important research institutions (Montanuniversität Leoben, The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research/Netherlands, Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University Linz).

Milestone for the regional, green energy supply of the future

“ RAG has all the building blocks available in Upper Austria to actually ensure a secure supply of renewable energy from sun and wind. Now, as part of this reference project, we have been commissioned by the EU to show that metropolitan areas can also be reliably supplied with green heat all year round ,” says RAG Austria CEO Markus Mitteregger . “ Hydrogen is a key factor for the energy supply of the future, especially for Upper Austria as the No. 1 economic and industrial federal state. That's why we have Upper Austria. Hydrogen offensive 2030 started. Upper Austria is an important building block here. Hydrogen network that deals with the entire value chain - from primary energy supply through transport and storage to application in industry and mobility. The development of a pipeline infrastructure is crucial for setting up hydrogen storage facilities and supplying industrial companies and energy companies with hydrogen. This is the only way to realize the advantages of hydrogen to achieve a CO2-neutral energy system. The implementation of the hydrogen pipeline infrastructure must be carried out on two pillars: in a first step the modification of existing gas pipelines and then the construction of a new pipeline infrastructure. Since it will not be possible to produce the high demand for climate-neutral hydrogen in the EU entirely domestically, international hydrogen transport lines to and through Austria will also be necessary ,” emphasizes Markus Achleitner, State Councilor for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Linz's heat supply is becoming even greener

The project is an essential building block on the way of the city of Linz and LINZ AG to expand the district heating supply from the current 40 percent to 100 percent renewable sources by 2040. In terms of security of supply, the connection to hydrogen storage, as investigated in the project, is an important basis for this. In order to ultimately be able to use the stored hydrogen in LINZ AG's power plants in the long term, the project plans to examine the Linz-Süd district heating power plant (FHKW) and the upstream infrastructure, such as the supply lines, for their hydrogen suitability. Any necessary adjustments to the power plant layout should also be analyzed. "Green hydrogen is crucial to achieving decarbonization in municipal district heating and electricity generation. This technology is also suitable for extensive use in Linz's industry, which currently accounts for around 13 percent of Austria's total CO2 emissions. The pioneering hydrogen technologies have a particularly strong leverage effect in the industrial city of Linz. In this context, EUH2STARS represents a lighthouse project with an exemplary signal effect for the large companies in Linz and marks a milestone on the city's path to a complete energy supply from renewable sources ," explains Klaus Luger, Mayor of the city of Linz. “ LINZ AG as a utility company is also working on future topics such as hydrogen. We are constantly implementing hydrogen activities so that we are fit for the future with this energy source. An important milestone is now the pioneering EU project EUH2STARS. As an energy supplier, our long-term goal is the seasonal storage of energy surpluses in the summer. This means that LINZ AG can supply the people and businesses in the supply area with green electricity and green district heating made from climate-neutral hydrogen in winter,” says LINZ AG General Director Erich Haider. “As market and distribution area manager, AGGM has been responsible for planning the gas infrastructure in Austria for over 20 years. With the H2 roadmap for Austria, AGGM, in cooperation with the gas network operators, has already mapped out the needs-based development of the gas infrastructure by 2050. With the reallocation of around 1,400 km of existing gas pipelines for the transport of hydrogen and the construction of around 300 km of new hydrogen pipelines, a powerful core network can be built in Austria in parallel to the methane network, which will cover the future regional and cross-border transport needs for hydrogen. Hydrogen storage is an essential part of this H2 roadmap. The efficient integration of storage into the hydrogen infrastructure is a success factor for the conception of a resilient renewable energy system and is essential for the success of the energy system transition ,” emphasizes Bernhard Painz, CEO of AGGM. “ The joint EUH2STARS project is paving the way for a decarbonized European economy. Large-scale hydrogen storage systems are important nodes of the European Union's future energy networks, which will enable the further expansion of wind and solar energy,” says Aleksander Makaruk, R&D Lead and Senior Engineer, Axiom. "The storage of energy using hydrogen will be one of the central building blocks of the energy system of the future. As a research institution, we look forward to further developing this system together with our project partners and enabling optimal implementation ," says Robert Tichler, Managing Director, Energy Institute at the JKU Linz. “ For the Montanuniversität Leoben it is a great pleasure but also a responsibility to evaluate the possibility of underground hydrogen storage in an international consortium and ultimately to demonstrate the feasibility of hydrogen storage on a large scale. This will be an indispensable contribution to the energy transition. If underground high-pressure hydrogen storage is established, this will accelerate the transition from carbon-based energy sources to hydrogen-based ones. This means that the energy transition will continue to gain momentum. The Montanuniversität Leoben is looking forward to the collaboration and looks forward to the expected results within the framework of EUH2STARS with confidence, joy and interest,” says Gregor Mori, Associate Professor of Corrosion and Hydrogen Embrittlement, Montanuniversität Leoben.

EUH2STARS: Enabling and driving forward the energy transition

“After almost a decade of experience with geological hydrogen storage, we are now taking the next step. “Together with our partners, we want to show the possibilities of hydrogen along the entire value chain in the EUH2STARS reference project , ” says RAG Austria CEO Markus Mitteregger, explaining the goals. The basis for EUH2STARS is the experience from RAG Austria's first hydrogen storage projects in Upper Austria. RAG was the first company in the world to demonstrate that hydrogen can be stored seasonally and in large volumes in depleted natural gas deposits. On this basis, the new project will advance both planning and technical investigations into the concrete transformation of the infrastructure for the use of hydrogen. These include the storage conversion and the construction of new storage facilities on a larger scale in the central area of Upper Austria. The underground natural gas deposits are transformed into seasonal and large-volume storage facilities for green hydrogen. Underground and invisible transport can take place in existing natural gas pipelines adapted for hydrogen transport. Furthermore, the study aims to secure district heating and electricity production in modern combined heat and power plants in winter in the medium term - especially when there is too little solar and wind energy available. Overall, the measures necessary for the rapid ramp-up of the hydrogen economy will be examined and planned along the entire value chain during the project period until 2029. The project participants plan to start concrete implementation before the end of the project period in 2029 or to have already completed it. The pioneering work of RAG and its partners, which was previously supported by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, is now moving into a European dimension. It is of outstanding importance across Europe for companies, political decision-makers and authorities to transform European energy systems and enable the energy transition. In the EUH2STARS reference project, technical and economic base scenarios are being developed for a wide range of geological conditions and in very different energy environments. This will ensure that the results of the EUH2STARS project benefit a wide range of stakeholders across Europe.

Hydrogen makes solar and wind storable

As part of the energy transition, hydrogen is the essential key to increasing the security of energy supply. Hydrogen can be produced without CO2 emissions and can be used cleanly and flexibly in all sectors - whether for applications in industry, in heat and power generation or in mobility. But the decisive factor is its large-volume storage and transportability in an existing, almost invisible infrastructure. “In order to achieve the ambitious climate goals, it is not enough to push the expansion of renewable energies. This must be accompanied by a rapid hydrogen ramp-up. The solar and wind power from the summer months must be made storable and brought into the winter when wind is not constant and sun and water do not provide enough energy to cover the increased demand through heat pumps and e-mobility. Experts assume a seasonal energy transfer of 10 TWh per year in Austria alone by 2030. With its regional projects, RAG shows how the energy transition can be managed. Politicians must urgently ensure the necessary framework conditions and the adaptation of the infrastructure. “Declarations of intent alone are not enough,” says RAG Austria CEO Mitteregger, explaining the need to make renewable energies capable of being stored in the form of hydrogen in order to ensure a secure supply of energy in the future. Detailed information about the EUH2STARS project can be found at:www.euh2stars.eu

European Reference Project for Large-Volume Hydrogen Storage EUH2STARS Starts Under Austrian Leadership