Safe hydrogen – German company eliminates explosion risk and receives €72.5 million in funding
Hydrogen is an energy source with great potential, but its explosive nature has made it difficult to control. A German company has now found a solution that could revolutionise the use of hydrogen and is being funded to the tune of €72.5 million.
Transporting hydrogen is risky because it is highly explosive. Another challenge is storing the liquid fuel, which evaporates quickly. A German company has now developed a process to transport the alternative energy carrier safely and cheaply, and is receiving €72.5 million in funding – 70% from the German government and 30% from the Free State of Bavaria.
The plan is to produce around 1,800 tons of green hydrogen in the Bavarian Danube region by 2028. In February 2024, the European Commission recognised the Green Hydrogen@Blue Danube project as an “important project of common European interest” (IPCEI) as part of the “Hy2Infra” hydrogen initiative.
With Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology, large quantities of green hydrogen from all over the world can be transported more safely and cost-effectively via the existing infrastructure for liquid fuels (e.g. tanker trucks, rail, inland waterway vessels).
The hydrogen is chemically bonded to the flame-retardant oil benzyltoluene, making it safer and cheaper to transport than diesel. The hydrogen is released at the delivery point, and the carrier oil can be reused to store and transport the fuel.
– Daniel Teichmann, founder and Managing Director of Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies
LOHC technology will be an important building block in achieving the ambitious climate targets of Bavaria, Germany and Europe quickly and sustainably.
In addition, Hydrogenious will build the world’s largest LOHC-based hydrogen storage facility in 2025, which will be able to supply local industrial customers with the liquid fuel. In the future, it can be fed into pipeline networks such as the HyPipe Bavaria, and a connection to the German hydrogen core network is also planned.
The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Dr. Robert Habeck, and the Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, Hubert Aiwanger, presented Hydrogenious LOHC with a funding decision worth 72.5 million euros on Tuesday in Erlangen:
Today marks the start of a truly pioneering project in the field of liquid organic hydrogen carriers, which will pilot LOHC-based hydrogen infrastructure on a large scale in order to supply regions with green hydrogen that are not connected to the hydrogen core network.
I am delighted that we are promoting this young technology of Hydrogenious LOHC in Erlangen as part of IPCEI, which will make an important contribution to the development of the hydrogen economy and thus have a significant impact on the transformation of the industry.
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Safe hydrogen – German company eliminates explosion risk and receives €72.5 million in funding, source
