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2/12/2021

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BDR Thermea joins pioneering test of hydrogen energy in Germany

A new project in Germany is helping test the technology and infrastructure we will need to achieve the energy transition. BDR Thermea Group is participating in this pioneering initiative, along with regional grid operator Westnetz and energy company E.ON, to convert a natural gas pipeline so it can carry hydrogen for home heating.


The H2HoWi project – a first for Germany – is an important step towards the large-scale application of hydrogen for domestic heating. We’re at the leading edge of this exciting work, supporting the pilot in the North Rhine-Westphalia town of Holzwickede with our Remeha hydrogen-ready boilers.
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Getting hydrogen-ready

The admixture of hydrogen into the natural gas network in Germany is currently limited to 10%, although several field trials have already confirmed safe application of higher admixtures. With project H2HoWi, Westnetz is going a step further, testing the technical viability of using pure hydrogen.

The Holzwickede natural gas pipeline will be disconnected from the gas grid and reconnected to a hydrogen storage facility. To test how the hydrogen can then be used for home heating, BDR Thermea will install Remeha hydrogen-ready boilers into four homes.

“The trusty gas boiler has served us all well, but the time has come for it to make way for a carbon-free alternative, using hydrogen,” says Jürgen Jahn, product manager at Remeha. “We’re excited to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking work with our 100% hydrogen and hydrogen-ready condensing Remeha boilers. Pilot projects like this are essential to test the real-life applications of this carbon-free technology and, crucially, to see how it connects with the wider distribution network.’’

 

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"Pilot projects like this are essential to test the real-life applications of this carbon-free technology ”

Jürgen Jahn| Product manager at Remeha

Battery of the future

Germany has an ambitious hydrogen strategy, backed by large-scale investments and trials to use green hydrogen in industry, transport and domestic heating. Adapting the existing gas grid for the use of hydrogen is an important precondition for the success of the energy transition. 

“The scale of the energy transition means we work with many different partners,” says Franz Killinger, Sales Manager at Remeha.“The ambition and vision of a clean energy future is too great for any one player to tackle – it must involve partnership and collaborative innovation on a huge scale.

“We’re just one part of the puzzle in this German pilot, but an important part. We’re at the ‘end of the line’ where the consumer feels the real result of the complex work that goes into grid conversion and connection. If we succeed in these four homes, and the pipeline conversion work is also a success, the possibility of large-scale applications will be clearer.”
 
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