The district and the city of Schweinfurt have applied with their hydrogen concept "HYCircle Schweinfurt" in joint cause with the local energy suppliers ÜZ Mainfranken and Stadtwerke Schweinfurt to the initiative "HyLand – Hydrogen Regions in Germany" in the funding level HYExpert and thus for a funding of 400,000 euros for a feasibility study of their concept. If the application is successful and the feasibility study for the "HYCircle Schweinfurt" project can be carried out, the ÜZ Mainfranken will take on the role of technical and technical coordination for the field of system-supporting hydrogen production and integration into the existing energy system as co-initiator and actively accompany the project. The concept unfolds additional dynamics with the combination of the plans of the district-free city of Schweinfurt for an "H2MegaHub" at the Mainhafen Schweinfurt in cooperation with stadtwerke Schweinfurt, Siemens AG and other partners – the project is to be scientifically supported by the Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences. The H2MegaHub project is intended to set up a large-scale network of plants for the production and storage of green hydrogen at the Port of Schweinfurt and to implement an associated distribution infrastructure. The green energy required for hydrogen production is to be generated predominantly in the region, the district of Schweinfurt. The project aims to achieve a nationwide supply of hydrogen users in the mobile and industrial sectors. With the H2MegaHub Schweinfurt, the partners are taking advantage of the situation of transferring conventional infrastructures located in the middle of Europe (electricity, gas, inland navigation, rail, BAB) into sustainable infrastructures. The concept includes a high approach to decarbonisation both for transport (in particular inland navigation from the Danube to the Rhine and public transport) and for an energy-intensive metalworking industry oriented towards conventional technologies. The application for the initiative "HyLand – Hydrogen Regions in Germany" was submitted in June, last Tuesday district administrator Florian Töpper, Lord Mayor Sebastian Remelé, Jochen Starke (Managing Director ÜZ Mainfranken), Robert Ruppenstein (Sales Manager ÜZ Mainfranken), Thomas Kästner (Managing Director Stadtwerke Schweinfurt) and project manager Michael Graber (District Office Schweinfurt, Head of the department "Mobility and Energy") met on this occasion. They exchanged ideas in Lülsfeld (hosted by the ÜZ Mainfranken) about the project, which offers huge opportunities for the region in the event of a successful application. The participants agreed that a joint approach and the pooling of forces and expertise is the right way to position the Schweinfurt region in the promising field of the production of green – i.e. CO2-neutral – hydrogen. "We will significantly increase our chances if our local authorities join forces," explained District Administrator Töpper and Lord Mayor Remelé together. As regional electricity suppliers, ÜZ Mainfranken and Stadtwerke Schweinfurt want to make use of the opportunity to make hydrogen accessible to the local economy and population as an emission-free energy source at an early stage. The necessary knowledge and experience as well as a corresponding infrastructure are to be built up here, although the first steps in this project initially mean a lot of work and no monetary return: The technical feasibility is given, but not yet the economic efficiency, which will result from hydrogen production by means of electrolysis only in the medium and long term. "You need staying power," explained Jochen Starke and Thomas Kästner. But both agree: "It is the right way and we want to work together as a region and join forces." According to ÜZ Sales Manager Robert Ruppenstein, a decision will be made on the success of the Schweinfurt region's application to the "HyLand" initiative in September of this year. If the region were to be awarded the contract, the concept development would be pushed forward immediately, after all, in 2023, the implementation phase would be phased out, which would last until 2030. In the grid area of the ÜZ Mainfranken between Main and Steigerwald, more electricity has been generated from renewable energy sources than is consumed in the region for many years. The first milestone of the regional energy transition has thus been reached. The next logical step must be to establish sustainable storage options for this excess electricity. The large amount of electricity from renewable energies forms the foundation for creating sustainable added value with the production of green hydrogen as an energy storage for the region. The great advantage of hydrogen as an energy carrier is that during electrolysis (the splitting of water into its components hydrogen and oxygen), only water, oxygen and heat are produced as by-products that can be intelligently recycled and do not harm the environment. If the hydrogen is produced with electricity from renewable energies, it and its further use are considered to be completely climate-neutral. HYCircle Schweinfurt: Pioneer for climate-neutral logistics The Schweinfurt region as a major logistics location sees this project as a great opportunity to become a pioneer in terms of climate-neutral logistics, transport and mobility. Many logistics and service providers, such as Ludwig Eichelmann GmbH, Schäflein AG, Gress Speditions GmbH, Pabst Transport GmbH und Co. KG, Hans Wormser AG, Erik Walther Tankstellen GmbH und Co. KG, as well as Eni Deutschland GmbH and Auriga Handels- und Gewerbebauträger GmbH, expressed great interest in the topic of hydrogen for a sustainable and future-proof fuel supply and offer their support. From industry and commerce, Madinger Industry Services participates as well as the Trips Group and the company Senertec. On the part of the municipalities, the market werneck has joined the stately number of supporters. Other active supporters of the project are the biogas plant operators Bioenergie Oberspiesheim GmbH und Co. KG, and Sonnenhof Bioenergie Hümmer. The research institutes of the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt, which will start in September with the new hydrogen technology course, as well as the IfE Institute for Energy Technology with Professor Dr. Raphael Lechner from the OTH Amberg are scientific partners of this application for the Schweinfurt region. The ultimate goal of the joint project, which emerged from the energy efficiency network of the district of Schweinfurt, is to gradually replace all combustion vehicles of the logistics fleets with hydrogen vehicles and to create the appropriate public infrastructure, such as filling stations and service networks, and to make it easily accessible. Furthermore, the district of Schweinfurt sees great potential in making local public transport sustainable and completely climate-neutral. "In the longer term, local public transport will result in a 'no-emission' concept, especially for rural areas, the supply of hydrogen as fuel to public buses will play an important role here," says project manager Michael Graber. For later planning, the use of hydrogen in industry and as a long-term replacement of natural gas in the heat supply is also planned. The attractiveness of the region as a convenient location for trade and the logistics industry is to be maintained and expanded. The establishment of hydrogen in the region is also an important step towards supporting Schweinfurt's large-scale industry on the way to CO2 neutrality and creating and permanently securing jobs for skilled workers. In concrete terms, this means that in addition to the grid expansion and in order to limit it as far as possible, system- and grid-supportive electrolysers are installed at strategic grid nodes, by means of which surpluses from renewable electricity are converted into hydrogen. The electrolysers should be installed as far as possible at locations where heat integration is possible (waste heat utilization of the electrolyser) and where oxygen is taken. Photo: In the picture (from left): District Administrator Florian Töpper, Jochen Starke (Managing Director ÜZ Mainfranken), Project Manager Michael Graber (Schweinfurt District Office, Head of the "Mobility and Energy" department), Thomas Kästner (Managing Director stadtwerke Schweinfurt) and Schweinfurt's Lord Mayor Sebastian Remelé exchanged views on the initiative "HyLand – Hydrogen Regions in Germany" in Lülsfeld. Photo: Andreas Lösch/Landratsamt Schweinfurt

"HyLand" Initiative: Schweinfurt Wants to Become a Hydrogen (H2) Region in Germany