(Bremerhaven) – The Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES started trial operations at the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven (HLB) in Bremerhaven in the presence of Senator Kristina Vogt (Economy, Ports and Transformation) and Mayor Melf Grantz. In this project, the researchers are investigating the interaction between onshore wind turbines and electrolytic hydrogen production.
Start of the Hydrogen Lab test operation in Bremerhaven (from left): David Wenger (Managing Director Wenger Engineering GmbH), Kevin Schalk (Group Leader HLB Fraunhofer IWES), Nora Denecke (Head of Department Hydrogen Laboratories and Field Tests Fraunhofer IWES), Kristina Vogt (Bremen Senator for Economics, Ports and Transformation), Andreas Reuter (Director of the Fraunhofer IWES Institute) and Bremerhaven's Mayor Melf Grantz. © IWES / Hauke Müller
According to the company's own information, the aim is to "accelerate the integration of hydrogen technologies into the energy and economic system at national and international levels" and to promote the production of green hydrogen. The test infrastructure will enable scientists to “comprehensively exploit the potential in the near future”. At the same time, hydrogen producing or consuming systems could be tested and measured on behalf of industry.
All construction work has been completed, the main components have been connected, containers with transformers and the control room have been set up. Electrolysers, fuel cells, cogeneration plant, storage and compressors installed. According to the Fraunhofer Society, electrolysers with a total output of up to ten megawatts are being tested on ten test areas. The green electricity is supplied by a wind turbine with an installed capacity of eight megawatts.
Visit to Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven. © IWES / Hauke Müller
Thanks to the connection to the medium-voltage network of the Dynamic Nacelle Testing Laboratory (DyNaLab) in the immediate vicinity, compatibility with the power network can also be tested directly. Wenger Engineering GmbH acted as general contractor.
“We are ready and are starting trial operations,” says Kevin Schalk, group leader Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven at Fraunhofer IWES. Regular operations will begin with the official commissioning next spring: “We already have a large number of inquiries from around the world for joint projects and we are looking forward to working together.”
Follow-up projects in preparation
The Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven is also integrated as an associated project in the North German Reallabor (NRL), a joint project with 50 partners from business, science and industry who are working together to test new paths to climate neutrality. Follow-up projects are already being prepared with the research partners to investigate specific applications in the areas of decentralized networks, alternative fuels, mobility and logistics, offshore site exploration and the food industry.
The HLB was funded with a total of 16 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state of Bremen. Fraunhofer IWES currently employs more than 300 scientists, employees and over 100 students at nine locations in Bochum, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Görlitz, Hamburg, Hanover, Leer, Leuna and Oldenburg.
Photos
The Augsburg-based H-Tec Systems GmbH contributed a PEM electrolyzer of the type ME450 with an output of one megawatt to the Fraunhofer IWES test field. © H-Tec Systems GmbH
