Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Siemens’ branch that connects energy systems, building technology and industries to evolve the way we live and work, signed a contract with hydrogen specialists WUN H2 to build one of the largest hydrogen production plants in Germany.
The plant, to be built in Wunsiedel (pictured above) will provide energy to northern Bavaria and the border region in the Czech Republic.
With a power intake of six megawatts in the initial development phase, the plant will run solely on renewable energy and will be CO2-free. The electrolysis plant from Siemens Energy will have the capacity to produce over 900 tons of hydrogen per year in this first phase. When fully expanded, it will be able to supply up to 2,000 tons.
Germany has pledged to be greenhouse gas-neutral by 2050. To this end, all sectors that use energy, such as transportation and industry, must press ahead with decarbonisation. The plant in Wunsiedel will serve as a model for all of Germany. It will convert the renewable energy available in this region, from photovoltaics and wind power, into storable hydrogen, making it available for applications in mobility and industry. This is especially useful when, on sunny and windy days, more energy from renewable sources is produced than needed.
“This project is another element of a practised, successful technology partnership between Siemens and SWW Wunsiedel,” stated Uwe Bartmann, CEO of Siemens Germany and CEO of Smart Infrastructure Regional Solutions & Services Germany. “We want to achieve locally already today what Germany is targeting for 2050, namely a complete energy transition across all sectors.”
The project will give the northern Bavaria region its very own hydrogen source. Until now, gas for end customers had to travel a relatively long way. The hydrogen will be filled into gas cylinders for local distribution and shipped by truck to local and regional end customers, mostly in Upper Franconia, the Upper Palatinate, southern Thuringia and Saxony, as well as Western Bohemia (Czech Republic).
The plant will also help ease grid bottlenecks and provide flexibility for the grid. A public hydrogen filling station for trucks and buses may be added later at the same location to aid the conversion of heavy-duty traffic and public transportation to CO2-free drive technology.
