IWES has concrete plans drawn up for Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven

(Bremerhaven) – The “Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven” consortium has commissioned a general contractor to draw up concrete plans for the installation of the research facilities at the former Luneort airfield. The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES said this is a fundamental requirement for the necessary approvals.

As reported, the Fraunhofer Society wants to operate three such hydrogen labs. The first pilot plant for testing and scaling electrolysis systems was put into operation in Leuna in May. In Görlitz, commissioning is planned for the end of 2022, in Bremerhaven the start is forecast for the middle of next year.

The three facilities have unique selling points: In Leuna, the pilot plant is directly connected to the regional chemical industry's pipeline. In Görlitz (12,3 megawatts of connected load), the research focus is on the generation, storage and use of hydrogen for mobile and stationary fuel cells, especially for mobility and to supply districts and industrial sites.

The system in Bremerhaven will be integrated into the virtual replica of a power supply network at the Fraunhofer IWES large-scale testing facility Dynamic Nacelle Testing Laboratory (Dy-NaLab). The production of electrolysis energy from wind power is also a unique selling point. Starting with a connected load of two megawatts, the location can be expanded to ten megawatts. The Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven aims to produce one ton of green hydrogen per day using electricity from wind energy at full load and distribute it with the help of regional partners. As soon as the systems are in operation, “we will be able for the first time to measure and long-term validate the performance of electrolysers in direct connection with wind energy, regardless of the manufacturer,” says Nora Denecke, department head at Fraunhofer IWES and project coordinator. In addition, many other topics such as grid integration and island networks, but also water supply using seawater, could be included in the research.

Complex technology structure without a blueprint

The neighboring Lune Delta commercial and industrial area, which the Bremerhaven Society for Investment Promotion and Urban Development (BIS) is currently developing, should also benefit from this. “The realization of the electrolyzer test field is groundbreaking for the Bremerhaven hydrogen location and forms the basis for further projects,” explains Saskia Greiner, hydrogen innovation manager at BIS. “Numerous processes have to go through before the complex interaction between electrolyzers, compressors and the switchgear is coordinated,” explain the researchers. There is currently no comparable project.

In particular, connecting the hydrogen, power and data lines to the DyNaLab requires know-how and creativity from the general contractor Wenger Engineering GmbH: “The planned test field is unique in the world and represents a significant contribution to the energy transition for the region,” says its managing director David Wenger.

The construction of the test field is being funded with 16 million euros by the European Union and the state of Bremen as part of the “Hydrogen – Green Gas for Bremerhaven” project.

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