Projects and Applications
Hydrogen has arrived in everyday life
In the Ruhr region, there are numerous hydrogen and fuel cell projects, some of which are already directly linked to the everyday lives of people between the Rhine and the Ruhr. The following focal areas are clearly emerging in the region.
Green hydrogen: The production of green hydrogen is being advanced in three projects to improve the infrastructural conditions for decentralised and CO2-neutral hydrogen use.
Mobile applications: Fuel cells using hydrogen as an energy carrier can be found in a wide range of mobile applications worldwide. Trial fleets such as buses, light trucks and cargo bikes are already in operation on the roads of the Ruhr region and are being tested under real conditions, for example as part of the HYCHAIN-MINI-TRANS project.
Stationary applications: The stationary fields of application for hydrogen and fuel cell systems are diverse. The full range of stationary applications includes, for example, heating technology from single-family homes through to district supply in combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Fuel cell technology is firmly established in the field of emergency power supply systems. Here, fuel cell technology is used in aviation and maritime transport, in data centres and also in hospitals.
Another area of focus for fuel cell systems is projects for storing and generating electricity from renewable energy. Renewable energy generation is often dependent on the season or time of day. Hydrogen is used here to store overproduction and subsequently offset supply bottlenecks. Hydrogen thus occupies a key position in autonomous energy supply concepts.
In addition to energy recovery in fuel cells, hydrogen is also used as a fuel in gas engine combined heat and power plants, for example on site at the Welheimer Mark school in Bottrop. For this purpose, regeneratively produced hydrogen from the Emschergenossenschaft wastewater treatment plant is used in Bottrop.
Stationary applications such as emergency power supply systems, hydrogen-based energy complementary systems and combined heat and power (CHP) plants are produced and operated directly in the Ruhr region.