The energy transition in concrete terms: SH Netz has built the first system for adding green hydrogen to the natural gas network in Schleswig-Holstein for EUR 4.5 million. Power-to-gas system from Wind2Gas Energy feeds in the first quantities of hydrogen in Brunsbüttel on the Covestro site.
H2 MOBILITY’s hydrogen filling station supplies fuel cell cars with green hydrogen
Schleswig-Holstein Netz (SH Netz) has set up the first plant in Schleswig-Holstein in Brunsbüttel to feed green hydrogen into the natural gas network. The company has invested around 4.5 million euros in this. The operator of the electrolysis system (power-to-gas system) required for hydrogen generation is Wind2Gas Energy GmbH & Co. KG, which also supplies the H2 MOBILITY hydrogen filling station with green hydrogen. Both the feed-in system from SH Netz and the power-to-gas system from Wind2Gas Energy were built on the site of Covestro Deutschland AG in Brunsbüttel. The hydrogen filling station is also located on the premises, but it is open to the public.
“The system for absorbing hydrogen from wind energy into the gas network is another important step for a successful energy transition according to the motto: from the region – for the region”, explains Dr. Joachim Kabs, Chief Technology Officer at SH Netz. “With such specific measures, we are working within the framework of sector coupling for an overall energy transition in the north.”
“By feeding hydrogen into the natural gas network, an important milestone for the energy transition has been reached here in the region,” says Tim Brandt, Managing Director Wind2Gas Energy. “The holistic approach – production of wind power, conversion of excess electricity into hydrogen, storage in tanks for the planned hydrogen filling station as well as feeding the remaining amount into the natural gas network is now being tested and demonstrated at the Brunsbüttel energy and industrial location.”
“With the settlement, we want to give a young company in the field of renewable energies the opportunity to use the space and the good infrastructure in the Covestro Industrial Park Brunsbüttel for themselves,” says Günter Jacobsen, Covestro press spokesman at the Brunsbüttel site
The funds for the construction of the electrolysis plant are provided in part by the joint project NEW 4.0 – North German Energy End, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the SINTEG program, in which 60 partners from Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg jointly the development path to the energy system of Try the future.
The Brunsbüttel hydrogen filling station is state-of-the-art and comes from the technology company Linde. Their operation by the driver is intuitive; Refueling is similar to that of conventional vehicles and takes three to five minutes. Hydrogen offers the opportunity to expand the fuel supply in the transport sector in a climate-friendly way, because with the help of hydrogen, which is generated from renewable energy like in Brunsbüttel, climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions can be significantly reduced. The operation of a fuel cell car does not cause any local pollutants or emissions. The range is 500 to 700 kilometers per tank. In Brunsbüttel, up to 80 hydrogen cars can be supplied daily.
The filling station is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) with 1,022,667 euros in the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). The program is coordinated by the NOW GmbH National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.
Before the hydrogen produced in the power-to-gas system enters the natural gas network, a test is carried out in the measuring section to determine whether the hydrogen meets the requirements for purity and humidity. In addition, the amount of gas in the hydrogen is measured. The hydrogen is then compressed in two compressors to the network pressure of the high-pressure natural gas pipeline and fed in. This redundant design ensures the necessary availability of the system of 96 percent.
The feed-in system is fully monitored remotely. All operating data come together in SH Netz’s central network control center in Rendsburg. The system can also be accessed by authorized personnel using the latest IT security using a laptop. “Both the motors for the compressors and the heat pump for heating the company building are operated with electricity generated from renewable sources. We placed particular emphasis on the most environmentally friendly operation possible, ”explains Gregor Paul, project manager at SH Netz.
The wind power for the power-to-gas plant is supplied by the Westerbüttel wind farm, built on the north side of the Brunsbüttel urban area. The power-to-gas plant can produce up to 450 cubic meters of hydrogen per hour at peak times. This corresponds to around 40 kilograms per hour. For comparison: A fuel cell car powered by hydrogen can travel around 100 kilometers with one kilogram.
Source: Wind2Gas
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