Clean Energy From Hydrogen
As the world looks for alternatives to fossil fuels, hydrogen is rapidly establishing itself as a core component of a greener, cleaner future. It makes it possible to store energy obtained from natural sources and can be used to provide emission-free fuel cells for powering vehicles. When added to natural gas, it can also help to decarbonize industrial processes.
But there’s a problem. Although it is the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, pure hydrogen does not occur naturally in large quantities on Earth and therefore needs to be separated from other elements. Currently, around 95% of our hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, using processes that release carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
The clean solution is “green hydrogen,” which is produced by electrolysis, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity and producing no greenhouse gases. One of the leaders in this field is H-Tec Systems (part of MAN Energy Solutions), a company based in Augsburg, Germany, which develops and manufactures electrolyzers specifically designed for green hydrogen production.
H-Tec’s technology can be seen in action at the eFarm hydrogen mobility project in the North Frisia district of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. Here, an array of giant wind turbines creates electricity, which is converted into hydrogen by five H-Tec electrolyzers. The hydrogen is then pressurized and transported to hydrogen gas stations to provide fuel for fuel cell buses, trucks, and cars.
The electrolysis process also creates waste heat, and at the eFarm, some of this heat is diverted into the regional heating grid for industry and private households. However, depending on electrolyzer location, this option is not always available. Even when it is, there is still excess heat that needs to be released to keep the electrolysis process cool and stable. For this reason, all of H-Tec’s electrolyzers have Güntner Dry Coolers as part of the cooling system mounted on their roofs. These include Flat COMPACT Dry Coolers, Flat VARIO Dry Coolers, and V-shape VARIO Dry Coolers.
The aicore™ air control system ensures sustainable operation of the Dry Coolers on the heat dissipation side, using a multitude of intelligent functions. Its benefits extend beyond simply minimizing energy consumption. Every night, it initiates a cleaning run, which removes any dust from the heat exchanger bare coil, thus avoiding any unnecessary added power use. It can also limit noise emissions, especially at night.
Linder expects H-Tec to keep growing and to make ever larger electrolyzers. In March 2022, MAN Energy Solutions announced that it would be investing up to 500 million euros in the company. MAN expects that over the next five to ten years, hydrogen will become one of the most important primary energy sources for the global economy as it continues to decarbonize.
“We’re proud to work with partners like H-Tec on the development of hydrogen infrastructure, as this reflects our responsibility as a company to future generations. At Güntner, we work with the energy sector every day and see first hand how much progress is being made to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. We’re also delivering dry coolers for biogas and heat pump systems, so we’re very much part of that positive change.” says Manuel Bingiesser, EPC Technical Sales Representative at Güntner.