Hydrogen production
From Green Electricity to Hydrogen – The Starting Point for Climate-Neutral Energy
At the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park, everything revolves around green hydrogen. In contrast to the climate-damaging hydrogen production methods still common today, the production of green hydrogen is completely CO2-free and is therefore considered a key to a successful energy transition. For electrolysis, a process used to produce hydrogen, only renewable energies are used. At the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park, the electricity for this comes directly from a nearby wind farm. This direct coupling of an electrolysis plant with a local wind farm is a world first.
Green Electricity from Wind for a Climate-Friendly Future
A large amount of electricity is required to produce hydrogen in the electrolysis plant, known as the electrolyzer. Climate-neutral green hydrogen can only be created if this electricity comes from renewable energy sources. To ensure this, eight new, modern wind turbines were built in the immediate vicinity of the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park, which will produce renewable electricity for the generation of green hydrogen in the future.
The wind turbines, with a total nominal capacity of 50 MW, can generate up to 145 million kWh of green electricity annually and have hub heights of 169 meters (five turbines), 166 meters (one turbine), and 119.9 meters (two turbines). These latest-generation wind turbines are equipped with ice detection sensors and an additional control system that permanently monitors the units and shuts them down if unusual operating conditions are detected.
The wind farm is located in the immediate vicinity of the A 38/A 143 motorway interchange. Three wind turbines were built to the east of the A 143 and the remaining five to the west of the A 143. For regulatory reasons, the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park cannot utilize the already existing wind farm (B). Furthermore, the construction of a new, additional wind farm was mandatory to continue generating sufficient electricity for the public supply.
After the approval process according to the BImSchG (Federal Immission Control Act) was successfully completed, construction of the wind farm began in April 2023. With the installation of the final turbine in May 2024, all eight wind turbines are now feeding into the grid.
The consortium partner Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH is responsible for the construction and operation of the wind farm. Terrawatt has been developing and implementing wind power and photovoltaic projects for over 25 years and can draw on a wealth of experience from over 300 projects involving more than 1,500 wind turbines. Terrawatt ensures the safe operation of the plants through regular inspections and maintenance. For the operational phase, Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH has partnered with the Swiss green power producer aventron. With its many years of experience and expertise in the fields of wind, solar, and battery storage, aventron is the ideal partner for the next development steps.
Contact Person
Falk Zeuner
Managing Director Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH
Green Hydrogen is Produced from Wind Power via Large-Scale Electrolysis
The electrolysis process, in which water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity, was discovered as early as 1800. In this process, an electric direct current is passed through the water via two electrodes. This causes oxygen to form at the positively charged anode and hydrogen at the negatively charged cathode. While the hydrogen is stored, the oxygen can be released into the environment without concern. Since the electrolyzer used in the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park produces very large amounts of energy with a capacity of 30 megawatts (MW), this is also referred to as large-scale electrolysis. The manufacturer of this large-scale electrolysis plant is the company Sunfire from Dresden. The electrolysis plant is being built on an area of 80 x 130 meters and will produce approximately 26.9 million m3 of hydrogen annually. This corresponds to an annual production of 2,400 to 3,000 tonnes, for which 5,000 to 6,000 full production hours are currently planned.
This direct coupling of wind power from the nearby wind farm with a large-scale electrolysis plant of up to 30 MW is a world first. Both components are directly electrically connected via a so-called site grid. This means that this grid does not belong to any grid operator but is privately operated.
The consortium partners Uniper and VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH are responsible for the construction and operation of the large-scale electrolysis through their joint venture Elektrolyse Mitteldeutschland GmbH (EMG). As an international energy company and pioneer in the field of hydrogen, Uniper implements projects worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain to make it usable as a cornerstone of energy supply. VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH, with its expertise in wholesale gas trading, handles the marketing of the hydrogen produced at the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park. With sales offices throughout Germany, neighboring countries, and business contacts across much of Europe, it supports the ramp-up of the European hydrogen economy. The physical implementation of the large-scale electrolyzer began with the ceremonial groundbreaking in June 2023. Construction will take approximately two years.
Safe Production of Green Hydrogen
In terms of safety, hydrogen itself is comparable to familiar gases such as biomethane or natural gas. By adhering to strict safety precautions, safe operation can be guaranteed at all times. These safety measures include the use of sensors in the electrolysis plants that reliably detect any hydrogen leaks so that defects can be rectified quickly. Before the plants at the Bad Lauchstädt Energy Park go into operation, they undergo rigorous safety checks and are inspected by the TÜV.
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