(Bremerhaven) – Construction for the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven (HLB) has begun. The focus of future activities will be on connecting wind turbines with electrolytic hydrogen production. After completion of the old airport site, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) will offer an infrastructure, among other things, for testing an electrolyser powered by wind power in a real environment.
The cross-sector integration of electrolysis, for example through the use of by-products and reconversion technologies for island grids and grid-supporting applications, will also be part of the scientific work in Bremerhaven.
The preparatory measures should be completed by the end of the year so that delivery of the large components can begin in January. The first containers for the transformers and the control room will be set up at the beginning of December. Most of the main components (electrolyzers, fuel cells, combined heat and power plant, storage, compressors) should be delivered and successively installed in the spring, says Kevin Schalk, group leader for the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven at Fraunhofer IWES.
The handover of the test field is planned for late summer 2023. The new research facility is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state of Bremen with a total of 16 million euros.
Parallel to the construction work, preparations for follow-up projects such as “H2Mare” or “SeaEly” are already beginning at Fraunhofer IWES.
Photos
At the start of construction of the HLB, they like to throw dirt for a photo and call the pleasure “groundbreaking” (from left to right): Sylvia Schattauer (Fraunhofer IWES), Senator for Science and Ports Claudia Schilling, Mayor of Bremerhaven Melf Grantz and Jan Wenske (Fraunhofer IWES). © Fraunhofer IWES / Hauke Müller
