As part of the ‘Renewable Gasfield’ development project in Gabersdorf, Austria, Energie Steiermark will utilise a PEM Electrolyser ME450/1400 from H-TEC SYSTEMS to generate green hydrogen. The emission-free energy carrier will be used directly for vehicles or fed into the grid as green gas.
In addition, green hydrogen will also be used in regional industries. A mining company from the Austrian region of Styria will be supplied with up to 70 tons of hydrogen annually from the plant. The electrolyser is scheduled to go into operation as early as mid-2022, and the company aims to make production even more sustainable in the future.
As part of a holistic power-to-gas approach, renewable energy is converted into green hydrogen through electrolysis. The system will be connected to an existing biogas system and coupled with a newly built photovoltaic system. The ME450/1400 PEM Electrolyser splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. With a nominal electrical power of 1 MW, up to 450 kg of hydrogen is produced daily. The green hydrogen produced in this way is then used as an emission-free energy carrier in the mobility sector or in industry.
The power-to-gas approach is particularly advantageous with regard to energy storage. In contrast to conventional battery storage systems, hydrogen can be conveniently stored for a long time.
Another part of the project is the feeding of green hydrogen into the natural gas network. Here, the hydrogen is mixed with raw biogas from a biogas plant, which means that high-quality methane can be processed in a CO2-neutral manner and fed into the natural gas grid. With the green natural gas generated in this way, 60 single-family houses can be supplied annually.
At the core of the ‘Renewable Gasfield’ is a modular and expandable energy concept. The intention is to feed the generated natural gas into the existing network and provide the hydrogen via storage trailers. This enables the supply of green hydrogen to residential households, industry, and mobility applications.
Frank Zimmermann, CEO and spokesman of the management board of H-TEC SYSTEMS, said: “The diverse areas of application in which hydrogen is used in Gabersdorf underline the potential that green hydrogen has for a sustainable energy supply. It shows that hydrogen is the energy source of the future for industrial applications. We are very pleased that with our technology we can deliver an essential component for the expansion of sector integration and hydrogen mobility in Austria.”
