Germany – City of Rodgau wants to produce hydrogen.
The city of Rodgau created a unique selling point in the district of Offenbach: In their meeting, the city councillors decided to build a publicly accessible hydrogen filling station with several fast charging stations for “green” hydrogen. In the long term, the Rodgau company even wants to produce the hydrogen itself.
That’s why they immediately decided to build ground-mounted photovoltaic systems to generate clean electricity that can be used to produce “green” hydrogen from water by electrolysis.
The hook for the city’s comprehensive “hydrogen strategy” was already a year ago. In December 2020, the city councillors decided that six out of eight new buses on the OF-40 city bus line should run on hydrogen.
The decision was preceded by extensive tests with an electric bus, a natural gas bus and a vehicle with hydrogen fuel cells, which clearly spoke in favour of the hydrogen variant. For this reason, fuel cell buses are to be on the road in the city for the first time in December next year.
With the construction of a hydrogen filling station, these buses can be refuelled directly on site in the future. The Rhein-Main University of Applied Sciences undertook a site analysis in advance, examined three locations and finally favoured the construction area on Landesstraße 3121 between the districts of Dudenhofen and Jügesheim.
Green hydrogen
“Green” hydrogen is produced with electricity that comes entirely from renewable energy sources. The electricity is necessary for electrolysis, which splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.
The hydrogen can then be stored in liquid or gaseous form. Only two percent of hydrogen is currently produced on a green basis.
98 percent come from fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources and are referred to as “grey” hydrogen. Ann
The CDU expressed concerns about the location.
Barbara Unger-Lamprecht asked:
Will heavy-duty vehicles in long-distance traffic in Rodgau leave the motorway and take a detour if there are ranges of 1000 kilometres in the heavy-duty range?”
Heino Reckließ (FDP).
Your group therefore asked to discuss a location again, but could not prevail.
“The party also failed with its demand to first check the cost-effectiveness of its own electrolysis because not enough electricity is produced in winter, and therefore to operate the filling station initially with delivered hydrogen. “Before every success is the attempt.”
What is certain, however, is that Stadtwerke Rodgau Energie GmbH is to plan, build and operate the hydrogen filling station on 2800 square meters in about two years.
In the run-up, the Rhein-Main University of Applied Sciences and the consulting firm Emcel GmbH from Cologne had prepared long-term sales forecasts, they recommended an expansion stage in which 1000 kilograms of hydrogen per day are stored at the filling station.
After refuelling the six hydrogen buses, this leaves 850 kilograms per day for the public, i.e. for private fuel cell trucks and cars, but also for garbage trucks and other municipal vehicles. The city hopes that the neighbouring municipalities will also discover hydrogen technology for themselves and become customers in Rodgau. However, a written expression of interest for a cooperation is not yet available.
There are currently 100 hydrogen filling stations in Germany, and by 2023 there should be 400.
The purchase of land for the petrol station costs around 500,000 euros; the equity of Stadtwerke Rodgau Energie will be increased by this amount in the 2022 business plan. The construction is to be handled by loans, which can be counter-financed by the sale of the hydrogen. Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.
The city councillors also instructed the magistrate to look for suitable areas for the ground-mounted photovoltaic system and to create the building law conditions so that green electricity can flow as soon as possible for the production of green hydrogen.
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City of Rodgau wants to produce hydrogen, December 14, 2021
