A Siemens logo in Germany. The economic giant says that a newly commissioned green hydrogen plant within the country will use wind and solar energy from the Wunsiedel Energy Park.
Daniel Karmann | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
A green hydrogen generation plant described as considered one of the biggest in Germany is open, with industrial giant Siemens saying it’ll produce 1,350 tons of hydrogen every 12 months.
In a press release Wednesday, Siemens said the ability would use wind and solar energy from the Wunsiedel Energy Park in Upper Franconia.
The hydrogen will probably be produced using an 8.75 megawatt electrolyzer. Siemens said the hydrogen can be primarily used “within the region’s industrial and industrial enterprises, but additionally in road transport.”
Following its commissioning, Siemens said a handover of the plant to WUN H2, its operator, had taken place. Siemens Financial Services has a forty five% stake in WUN H2. Riessner Gase and Stadtwerke Wunsiedel, a utility, have stakes of 45% and 10%, respectively.
“Talks regarding the expansion of the plant’s capability to 17.5 megawatts are already underway,” Siemens said.
Read more about energy from CNBC Pro
Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a various range of applications and could be deployed in a wide selection of industries.
It might probably be produced in various ways. One method includes using electrolysis, with an electrical current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.
If the electricity utilized in this process comes from a renewable source akin to wind or solar then some call it “green” or “renewable” hydrogen. Today, the overwhelming majority of hydrogen generation is predicated on fossil fuels.
‘A game changer for Europe’
Siemens’ announcement got here on the identical day that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support for hydrogen during her State of the Union address.
In remarks translated on the Commission’s website, von der Leyen said “hydrogen is usually a game changer for Europe. We want to maneuver our hydrogen economy from area of interest to scale.”
In her speech, von der Leyen also referred to a “2030 goal to supply ten million tons of renewable hydrogen within the EU, annually.”
“To attain this, we must create a market maker for hydrogen, to be able to bridge the investment gap and connect future supply and demand,” she said.
To this end, the EU’s von der Leyen also announced the creation of a European Hydrogen Bank. It’s hoped this can find a way to speculate 3 billion euros ($2.99 billion) to support the long run marketplace for hydrogen.
Over the past few years, various multinational firms have attempted to put down a marker within the green hydrogen sector. Inside Germany itself, oil and gas giant Shell last 12 months announced that a ten MW electrolyzer had began operations.
In July 2022, it was announced that plans to construct a serious hydrogen plant within the Netherlands would go ahead following a final investment decision by subsidiaries of Shell.
In a press release on the time, Shell said the Holland Hydrogen I facility can be “Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant” when operations start in 2025.
Based on the firm, the 200 MW electrolyzer will probably be situated within the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest seaport, generating as much as 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen each day.
In June of this 12 months, one other oil and gas supermajor, BP, said it had agreed to take a 40.5% equity stake within the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, an enormous project planned for Australia.
BP said it will develop into the operator of the event, adding that it had “the potential to be considered one of the biggest renewables and green hydrogen hubs on the earth.”
