(Berlin) - The hydrogen lead projects of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which were launched in January, have begun their work. The funding initiative is intended to remove the hurdles of a German hydrogen economy in order to get large-scale electrolyzers into series production (“H2 Giga”), research hydrogen production at sea (“H2 Mare”) and establish transport technologies for hydrogen (“TransHyDE”) ).
“H2 Giga” – electrolyzers in series production
The “H2 Giga” project aims to advance the serial and cost-effective production of electrolysers. The focus is on three technologies: PEM electrolysis (PEM, Proton Exchange Membrane), alkaline electrolysis (AEL) and high-temperature electrolysis (HTEL). Today, the production of electrolyzers is mostly done by hand, according to project sponsor Jülich. The scale-up projects are intended to change that. “The challenges range from the materials used to upscaling to manufacturing technologies.” Industry and research worked together to implement automated production of electrolyzers on a gigawatt scale.
Within the technology platform, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), among others, is involved in two joint projects. As part of “HTEL Stacks – Ready for Gigawatt,” those involved want to develop cell stacks for high-temperature electrolysis and associated production processes and systems, according to the institute. 
This could achieve efficiencies of up to 100 percent; current systems already achieve over 80 percent, says André Weber from the Institute for Applied Materials – Electrochemical Technologies (IAM-ET) at KIT. This project is coordinated by Sunfire GmbH.
The second network “Stack Scale-up – Industrialization of PEM Electrolysis” develops new stack technologies and large-scale production processes for low-temperature electrolysis. According to KIT, these PEM cells are characterized by low operating temperatures and high power density. The network is coordinated by Schaeffler AG. In addition to the IAM-ET, the KIT Laboratory for Electron Microscopy (LEM) and the Institute for Fluid Mechanics (ISTM) are involved in the projects.
From the industry side, Siemens Energy, Linde, MAN Energy Solutions, Thyssenkrupp, Enapter, Schaeffler and Sunfire are on board, among others. According to its own information, the DECHEMA Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology eV coordinates the exchange between partners from science and industry. As a kickoff event for H2Giga, project partners from industry and research will be on December 26.8.2021, 10.00 from 13.00 a.m. to XNUMX p.m. present their plans in moderated panel discussions. The live stream can be accessed without registering at “https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de/h2giga-start".
“H2Mare” – produce hydrogen offshore
According to the BMBF, some of the green hydrogen could be produced directly in offshore wind turbines in the future. By coupling wind turbines and electrolyzers, the “H2Mare” lead project aims to reduce hydrogen production costs and relieve the burden on the local power grid.
According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, the entire value chain is considered: from wind energy production and hydrogen production to the conversion of hydrogen into methane, liquid hydrocarbons, methanol or ammonia to consumption by industry or the energy sector. This means that “various industrial connection uses and storage options are possible”. The goal is a significant cost advantage when producing large volumes of hydrogen. Within four years, H2Mare – consisting of four collaborative projects with a total of 35 partners – wants to lay the foundation for technological leadership. 
The four H2Mare projects are being advanced independently of one another: “OffgridWind” pursues the implementation of a system concept that integrates electrolysis directly into the offshore wind turbine and aims for high efficiency. “H2Wind” involves the development of a PEM electrolysis system that is optimally adapted to the offshore environment and tailored to the wind turbine.
In addition to the longevity of the systems and the challenge of seawater treatment, the maximum yield of wind energy is a goal of the project. “PtX” wind investigates the conversion of hydrogen into more easily transportable, synthetic energy sources and fuels such as methanol and ammonia. Salt water electrolysis is also being tested. Finally, “TransferWind” takes over the transfer of knowledge to the public and to the cross-project exchange of specialists.
KIT is also involved. According to the company's own information, the transportable, container-based research platform eXPlore, which KIT developed together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), is intended, among other things, to provide "the first realistic test operation of a complete Power-to-X process chain in maritime enabling environment”.
Siemens Energy is responsible for the overall coordination of H2Mare with the support of institutes from the Fraunhofer Society. Fraunhofer IWES is a project partner in the joint projects OffgridWind and H2Wind, and an associated partner in TransferWind. KIT is involved in H2Mare with the Institute for Microprocess Engineering (IMVT), which also coordinates one of the four joint projects “PtX-Wind”, and the Engler-Bunte Institute (EBI).
“TransHyDE” – transport hydrogen efficiently
The “TransHyDE” lead project develops and evaluates various transport technologies for hydrogen in four demonstration projects: in high-pressure containers (Rügen Island, Mukran Port), in liquid form, in gas pipelines (test pipeline “Get H2”) and bound in ammonia (project “Campfire”) or the carrier medium LOHC (liquid organic hydrogen carriers), which is being tested as part of a hydrogen logistics chain in the Helgoland project.
The KIT is, among others, with the Institute for Technical Physics (ITEP), which coordinates the joint project “AppLHy!” on liquid hydrogen transport within TransHyDE, as well as with the Institute for Applied Materials – Materials Science (IAM-WK), the Institute for Thermal Energy Technology and Safety (ITES) and the Electrotechnical Institute (ETI) are involved, according to a statement. In the KIT facilities, scientists could “research and implement the entire chain from hydrogen liquefaction to the energy technology applications of electrical engineering to fuel cell heating.”
The hydrogen lead projects funded by the BMBF are the result of an ideas competition: science, business and society were invited to submit ideas for large-scale projects. 
Over 240 interested parties have come together and are to be funded with a total of around 740 million euros. The lead projects end in March 2025. They are generally open to new partners, according to the Jülich project management company. Interested parties must be able to contribute content to the respective project (contact: ptj-egf-h2@fz-juelich.de).
deep link
https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de
https://www.wasserstoff-leitprojekte.de
https://idw-online.de/de/news774390
https://idw-online.de/de/news774549
https://www.kit.edu/kit/pi_2021_078_wasserstofftechnologien-kit-forscht-in-allen-drei-leitprojekten-des-bundes.php
https://www.iwes.fraunhofer.de/de/presse_medien/windenergieanlagen-mit-integriertem-elektrolyseur-demonstrieren.html
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The hydrogen lead projects deal with the production and transport of green hydrogen, on land and at sea. © Projektträger Jülich on behalf of the BMBF
