Well-attended members’ evening

Digital meeting with lots of exciting information

Twenty-seven participants were welcomed to the second online members’ evening held on December 1 by Volker Lindner, Chairman of h2-netzwerk-ruhr e.V., and Carsten Stabenau, Head of Innovation Management at Westnetz GmbH. The meeting had originally been scheduled to take place at Westnetz’s headquarters in Dortmund, but in view of the current COVID situation, the organisers opted for a digital format, which did not detract from the evening’s success.

Volker Lindner was pleased to have welcomed the network’s 61st member and announced that in the coming year the network would focus even more strongly on the needs and wishes of its members. To this end, an individual member survey will be carried out with support from the new network manager, Dr Désirée Schulte. In addition, communication with members is to be improved, for example by introducing a digital “noticeboard”.

Afterwards, Carsten Stabenau, as virtual host, introduced the evening’s thematic content. Westnetz, as one of Germany’s largest gas grid operators, assumes that its pipeline network will have to be carbon-free by 2045. He presented considerations for increasing the use of biomethane and explained that, for the production of CH4 by adding CO2 to hydrogen, the phase-out of major CO2 emitters means there is only limited potential remaining. He then presented the Kaiseresch project, a district with a high proportion of commercial activity, which is one of Westnetz’s three real-world laboratories. According to him, the central project objective is “the development of a modular blueprint for a decentralised energy and heat transition at district level.” A hydrogen-based network of supply lines ensures a CO2-free energy supply and demonstrates the entire value chain from locally produced green electricity to hydrogen end applications across all energy sectors.

This was followed by a presentation of the “Smart Facility” in Metelen. There, Westnetz has built a hydrogen-based, largely grid-independent energy supply by installing solar modules, an electrolyser, a hydrogen storage system and fuel cells . “With this plant, we will achieve a self-sufficiency rate of 91% ,” explained project manager Jens Kleine-Vennekate. The hydrogen produced on site also powers two electric bicycles, which have a fuel cell for energy supply .

The two presentations prompted numerous questions and a lively discussion. Clearly, the topic was so fascinating that no one minded the meeting running over time. The next members’ evening will be hosted by the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT in Oberhausen. Whether it will be held in person or online will be decided according to the pandemic situation at that time.

Title image: Chairman Volker Lindner and Westnetz manager Carsten Stabenau welcomed the participants. Bottom left in the image: Motor vehicle guild master Dietlinde Stüben-Endres.