Structural Transition

Why here?

The Rhineland mining area is Europe's largest lignite mining area. The three opencast mines still in operation-Hambach, Garzweiler, and Inden-and the power plants provide thousands of jobs and secure the electricity supply for many millions of people. Because lignite-fired power generation results in the emission of climate-impacting gases such as CO₂, Germany is phasing out this technology in order to contribute to the fight against global warming. The Rhenish mining area must therefore reinvent itself. As the core of the Helmholtz Cluster for Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2), the INW is making a contribution by focusing on technologies that accelerate structural change in the Rhenish mining area and the energy transition in Germany. Chemical hydrogen storage has similar properties to familiar fossil fuels. That is why one of the INW's goals is to continue using existing infrastructure for storage and transport, thereby contributing to the energy transition.


Why us?

Energy transition is the term used to describe the plan to switch from fossil fuels and climate-damaging energy sources such as coal, oil, and gas to renewable sources such as solar, wind, and water energy. One of the key questions is how this green energy can be stored. While coal-fired power plants, for example, operate around the clock and can supply electricity 24 hours a day, the sun does not shine all day long, nor does the wind always blow. This means that the surplus energy generated from renewable sources must be stored. As with the sources (sun, wind, water), there is no one golden solution when it comes to storage methods. Battery research is currently making great strides, and heat storage can also make an important contribution. Another important pillar of future storage will certainly be hydrogen.

Researchers are working on all components of the hydrogen value chain. Photovoltaic systems are becoming more efficient in order to generate more electricity from sunlight. Others are conducting research to improve the efficiency of electrolysis so that more green hydrogen can be produced from solar and wind energy. Still others aim to further optimize fuel cells so that in the future we can recover electricity from hydrogen even more efficiently during periods of low sun and wind. Figuratively speaking, the INW and HC-H2 sit between the electrolyzer and the fuel cell. The institute is working to make hydrogen as accessible as possible for everyday use.

HC-H2 – Helmholtz Cluster Hydrogen

The Helmholtz Cluster for Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2) has two objectives: It aims to demonstrate how important and suitable for everyday use hydrogen can be as a climate-neutral energy storage medium. Secondly, HC-H2 and its partners want to demonstrate climate-friendly and economically viable technologies for the energy industry of the future as quickly as possible. These new technologies are intended to counterbalance the phase-out of lignite and provide new and sustainable economic power in the Rhineland mining region.

Hydrogen Network NRW

The HC-H2 network team publicizes the cluster's projects and shows companies, local authorities, academic institutions, and interested professionals how they can collaborate and network with us and our partners. In this way, it supports the search for potential cooperation partners and thus enables projects to be implemented.

Demonstration projects

The H2 demonstration projects are giving rise to HC-H2. As the coordinating unit and research institute, INW is joining forces with partners from industry, business, administration, and research to set up joint demonstrators in the Rhineland mining area. This is how HC-H2 is coming into being. The common goal is to showcase novel and innovative hydrogen technologies that will enable the green energy system of the future.

Funding

We invite interested parties to submit expressions of interest in the form of a description of the demonstration project, which should be no longer than three pages. Our team reviews these on a quarterly basis, assessing criteria such as innovation content, feasibility, and impact on structural change. If the initial assessment is positive, the parties involved work with our project coordinators to develop a complete project outline.

HC-H2

Here you will find information about the Helmholtz Hydrogen Cluster.

Demonstration Projects

Here you will find information about the demonstration projects.

Team Hydrogen Network NRW

Here you will find further information about the team network and its tasks.

Funding

Here you will find further information on the Federal Ministry's call for funding applications.