Dr Bernd Althusmann, Lower Saxony's Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization, visited the Hydrogen Campus on the Robert Bosch Elektronik GmbH site in Salzgitter on 4 May together with Christoph Plett (CDU), member of the state parliament in Peine, and Frank Klingebiel, Mayor of Salzgitter. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Herrmann, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, presented the interdisciplinary project of research and industry for the use of green hydrogen to the visitors.
"With its combination of large-scale industry and science, the Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter site offers ideal conditions for entering the hydrogen economy. Part of the Salzgitter aid is being put to good use here to make an important contribution to the development of a hydrogen economy in Lower Saxony and to make local companies fit for this important topic of the future," said Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Lower Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs, during his visit.
The Minister was given an insight into two of the projects already launched and funded by the state, the factory transformation project for the decarbonization of factories and the hydrogen storage in steel tanks project. The third project on the conceptual design of a green hydrogen supply for the Salzgitter region will be launched this month. The Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter is a joint project between municipal stakeholders, research and industry to research and test the economically viable supply and use of hydrogen in industry. Together, they are pursuing the goal of implementing hydrogen technologies along the entire value chain from production to use, taking into account economic and ecological aspects, and establishing it as a training platform for specialists and managers.
Astrid Paus, representing the State Commissioner Dr. Ulrike Witt, and Mayor Klingebiel welcomed the guests. "The Wasserstoff Campus Salzgitter is driving forward the development of a hydrogen economy in Salzgitter. Companies, science and the municipality are working together here in an exemplary manner. Now it is important to use this impetus to further promote regional networking. Our region has what it takes to become a nationally significant hydrogen region," says Astrid Paus. And Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel adds: "Our Hydrogen Campus is a flagship project for the industrial transition to a climate-friendly age. Together, we want to develop our city and our region into a pioneer in hydrogen technology and thus act as a role model." The Fraunhofer IST is the scientific partner on the campus and is supporting all sub-projects. With its strong background in the holistic design of production systems, the IST is working with industry to develop a roadmap for the decarbonization of factories using hydrogen technologies.
A hydrogen campus with laboratories and offices is being built on the Bosch site on John-F.-Kennedy-Straße in Salzgitter to realize various project components and bundle activities. Host Michael Gensicke, Managing Director of Robert Bosch Elektronik GmbH, and Rainer Krause, Managing Director of regional energy supplier WEVG Salzgitter GmbH & Co KG, presented the minister with the factory transformation project to decarbonize value creation with H2. A pilot factory with a real hydrogen infrastructure is being created in cooperation with the Fraunhofer IST. In the course of this, simulation models are being validated in a real environment, practical experience is being gathered on the construction and operation of a hydrogen infrastructure and viable business and operating models are being developed. "We are currently installing solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) as part of our energy supply and plan to put them into operation in the near future. The connection to the WEVG district heating network is also currently being implemented. In the near future, we will also be installing a photovoltaic system. We are picking up speed," says Michael Gensicke, Managing Director of Robert Bosch Elektronik GmbH.
The prerequisites for using hydrogen in practice include transportation and storage. Hydrogen tanks made of steel are inexpensive to manufacture and can also be recycled; the material costs are comparatively low and the manufacturing processes are very economical. The use of ultra-high-strength steels for type I tanks has so far been limited by hydrogen embrittlement. "Together with the Fraunhofer IST, we want to develop a barrier for the steel surface that prevents hydrogen embrittlement. The project promises great potential for increasing the strength of the steel used and thus further reducing weight, costs and CO2 emissions," says Dr. Benedikt Ritterbach, Managing Director of Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung GmbH.
How can an economically viable supply of green hydrogen become a reality in Salzgitter? The Hydrogen Campus aims to answer this question. To this end, a study led by MAN Energy Solutions and Fraunhofer IST will be launched in May 2021. Local production, transportation from coastal regions and the import of hydrogen will be compared technically and economically and a relevant customer market will be identified and developed, for example in rail transport or steel production. Dr. Dirk Rosenau-Tornow, Managing Director of the Group Works Council of Volkswagen AG, says: "We as the Group Works Council are delighted that the ambitious plans of the Hydrogen Campus Salzgitter are being supported by our Group brand MAN Energy Solutions. After all, green hydrogen has the potential to decarbonize industrial steel production and thus sustainably reduce the CO2 footprint in the automotive production chain."
Christoph Herrmann, Institute Director of the Fraunhofer IST, emphasizes the region's potential for hydrogen research: "At the Hydrogen Campus Salzgitter, partners from industry, science and politics are pooling their expertise to demonstrate the industrial use of hydrogen along the entire value chain and develop marketable solutions for decarbonization. The Fraunhofer IST is contributing its expertise in applied research on hydrogen technologies. Together, we want to realize the development paths for sustainable use concepts of green hydrogen in production and mobility. We see Salzgitter as a lighthouse region for the industrial, sustainable production and use of hydrogen."