Berlin - The city of Berlin has great opportunities to reduce emissions through the use of hydrogen, particularly in the heat supply and transport sectors. However, the potential has so far remained largely unused. This is the result of a study commissioned by the cross-company initiative “H2Berlin”.
A survey of 21 companies showed that around 2025 tons of hydrogen would be used by 37 due to planned projects. The energy company GASAG AG is committed to adding hydrogen to the natural gas network and is checking whether the use of the Grunewald gas storage facility is suitable for storing hydrogen. Vattenfall would like to decarbonize district heating generation through the use of hydrogen, among other things, and intends to add hydrogen to the Marzahn thermal power plant as a first step. Together with Graforce, Berliner Wasserbetriebe wants to implement a new, innovative process for producing hydrogen from wastewater and use the resulting gas for their commercial vehicles. Toyota Kreditbank is planning a holistic mobility concept for the Neulichterfelde district, which includes the use of hydrogen.
Public companies such as the Berlin city cleaning service, the fire department and the police also see great potential in the use of hydrogen vehicles. The Berlin public transport company is examining the use of hydrogen-powered buses with the aim of having an emission-free bus fleet by 2030. The use of a battery- and hydrogen-powered push boat is also planned. These and other projects, including the conversion of Berlin city cleaning commercial vehicles and the Berlin fire department's emergency vehicle fleet, will require around 2030 tons of hydrogen by 6.500.
However, there is a model calculation from the Research Center Jülich. The institute determined that around 2025 tons of green hydrogen would have to be used by 9.000 in order to achieve the energy transition towards climate neutrality in a cost-effective manner. To generate this amount, an electrolysis output of 170 megawatts would be required. For the year 2030, there will already be a demand of 24.000 tons for the energy transition.
In 2017, Berlin's emissions amounted to around 19 million tons of carbon dioxide. The largest cause is the electricity and heat supply to households, businesses, commerce and services (64 percent), followed by the transport sector (29 percent) and the industrial sector (six percent). Berlin wants to be climate neutral by 2050.
The role of hydrogen applications in Berlin must therefore be clarified immediately, according to the analysis “Hydrogen Potential in Berlin 2025”. Although the feasibility study “Climate Neutral Berlin 2050” estimates the need for green hydrogen to be around 52.500 tons in 2050, there is still no analysis of the development of the city state's short and medium-term hydrogen needs as a basis for further planning and strategies.
The H2 Berlin study recommends using a roadmap to determine what role hydrogen can play in the urban energy transition. Due to the high number of poorly insulated old buildings with the associated high heat requirements, hydrogen should also be integrated into the heat supply. It should also be examined whether hydrogen vehicles could complement battery-electric vehicles where special performance is required. In addition, small initiatives would have to be brought together to form a large, cross-company and cross-sector lighthouse project for the coordinated market ramp-up of suitable hydrogen applications in the capital. Concepts need to be developed for converting vehicle fleets and combined heat and power plants. Specifically, based on the Swiss model, a city toll for heavy-duty vehicles could make the use of H2 trucks financially attractive. Likewise, an environmental tax on electricity generators for construction sites and events would promote the substitution of diesel generators.
The H2Berlin initiative is an association of supply and disposal companies as well as the automotive industry to, according to its own statements, “promote the development of a hydrogen economy to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and adhere to climate goals in the capital”. GASAG, Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Vattenfall, Berliner Stadtwerke and Stadtreinigung, Stromnetz Berlin, Sustainable Hydrogen and Toyota are involved. The initiative is supported by InfraLab Berlin, the federally owned NOW GmbH, HyCologne, the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and Berlin Partner. The preparation of the study was supported by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Enterprises.
The initiators now want to found an association to promote the hydrogen economy in Berlin. In addition, a first lighthouse project is to be designed that supports the development of a hydrogen economy in the capital in accordance with the European and national hydrogen strategy.
The 52-page study “Hydrogen Potential in Berlin 2025” was prepared on behalf of H2Berlin by the consulting companies Umlaut Energy GmbH and ETC Energy Transition Consulting GmbH. The download is free (see link).
deep link
https://www.now-gmbh.de/de/aktuelles/presse/wasserstoff-roadmap-fuer-berlin
https://www.bwb.de/de/24965.php
https://www.bwb.de/de/assets/downloads/wasserstoffpotenzial-in-berlin.pdf
Photos
Study “Hydrogen Potential in Berlin 2025” / © H2 Berlin
