Hydrogen Research

A promising green solution

Hydrogen is set to become a mainstay of the energy transition. As a master of versatility, it has a diverse range of applications. It can be used as a substitute for petrol, for example, or for storing electricity. At Jülich, we demonstrate how this potential can be used in a specific way in order to achieve a climate-smart energy supply.

Hydrogen is the smallest and lightest of all chemical elements. However, it plays a key role in the transformation of the energy world. The substance, which has the formula H2, can be used as an alternative fuel for trucks, ships, and aircraft. Hydrogen can replace oil and natural gas in the chemical and steel industries, and can be used to store energy from renewable sources. Its potential has been known since the 19th century. As early as 1874, a character in a novel by science fiction author Jules Verne said: “Water will be the coal of the future.” 150 years later, this vision is becoming reality. Hydrogen will be the key element in achieving the climate transition – and Germany will be a global pioneer in this field. To achieve this, our scientists are developing new technologies. They are demonstrating how hydrogen, with all its talents, can be integrated into the energy system of the future in a safe and efficient way.

We aim to set up a model for the energy transition, enabling a sustainable future using innovative hydrogen and energy technologies from the Rhenish mining area that will be sold worldwide.

HC-H2

The Helmholtz hydrogen cluster (HC-H2) is the hub of hydrogen activities in the Rhenish mining area – from basic research to the development of operational systems.

INW

Our Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) forms the core of HC-H2. With its research into hydrogen as an energy carrier, it provides a basis for promising future applications.

Structural change using hydrogen

The Rhenish lignite-mining area serves as our model region. In 2022, we founded the Helmholtz hydrogen cluster (HC-H2) on our doorstep – our largest structural change project to date for a region undergoing radical change. In this way, we aim to help maintain an attractive location for energy-intensive industry in Germany in the future. The research association is investigating hydrogen along its entire value chain to identify how it can be sustainably produced, transported, and used as an energy carrier. Its research is in part focused on storage methods. This involves converting green electricity into chemical energy by using it to produce hydrogen from water. Either on its own or combined with other substances, hydrogen can store solar or wind energy, for example. It is later released again in fuel cells.

Large-scale practical tests

We are demonstrating how well our approaches work in numerous on-site demonstration projects that are visible to the whole world, and cooperate closely with partners from business and industry. Our demonstrators are designed to prove that novel hydrogen technologies are suitable for everyday use and economically viable. One example is the Hermann-Josef-Krankenhaus hospital in Erkelenz: various hydrogen technologies co-developed at Jülich supply the hospital with heat and electricity. It is our first industrial-scale project and could potentially serve as a blueprint for the climate-smart energy supply of large building complexes around the world. The project is a real milestone on the path to our goal of making hydrogen technology the new German export hit.

More about Hydrogen Research

Background on hydrogen

Our dossier on the topic of “hydrogen“ deals with the production, transport and utilisation of this beacon of hope for the energy transition.

Helmholtz Hydrogen Cluster at Jülich

With its H2 innovation centre, Jülich’s newly established Institute for a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) will pool the scientific activities in this field.

Area of research: Energy

What could a sustainable energy system that relies on renewable energy look like? We show how the climate transition can be improved, accelerated, and made more economical.