Last month, in the presence of representatives from politics and the media, the shareholders of Hy2B Wasserstoff GmbH and the project partners, the go-ahead was given for the commissioning of the first grid-connected 5MWh hydrogen production plant in Bavaria at the site of the future hydrogen centre in Pfeffenhausen. Commercial operation of the electrolyser is scheduled to commence in the second half of the year.

Once operational, it will be able to produce an average of 1,200kg of ‘green’ hydrogen per day. This is then compressed to 450 bar and filled into transport trailers at a filling station. The trailers then distribute the hydrogen to bus and truck refuelling stations in the Munich and Ebersberg districts, supplying Munich’s regional bus services with enough ‘green’ fuel to power 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses. In the coming years, an increasing proportion of the green hydrogen will be produced using solar energy from photovoltaic systems in the immediate vicinity of the plant and, in the future, with additional wind power.

Alfons Weber, CEO of general contractor Kraftanlagen Energies and Services, explained how the plant works. He said: “With the help of the alkaline electrolyser from the company Nel — the key component of the plant — hydrogen and oxygen are produced from electricity, or more precisely from direct current, by electrolysis. This process takes place in a virtually pressureless system and therefore ensures very safe and hazard-free operation of the plant.”

Bavarian Prime Minister Dr Markus Söder, who attended the event, said: “A new milestone in the Bavarian hydrogen strategy — the electrolyser in Pfeffenhausen in Lower Bavaria is the third in the whole of Bavaria — and a further step on our way to an energy revolution with the participation of the citizens. Bavaria is a pioneer in Germany for the expansion of renewable energies.”

Dr Söder was joined by Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger. He said: “The commissioning of the 5MWh electrolyser is another important milestone in the energy revolution in Bavaria. The combination of hydrogen production, distribution and use at filling stations demonstrates the versatility of hydrogen as an energy source and the possibility of creating regional hydrogen cycles.”