Mayor Stephan Muckel visits the Helmholtz Hydrogen Cluster
The Hermann-Josef Hospital in Erkelenz is becoming a place of hydrogen innovation. The first expansion stage of a new energy system is currently being installed, which will supply the hospital with electricity and heat in a more economical and environmentally friendly way. The mayor of Erkelenz, Stephan Muckel (CDU), has now visited the Helmholtz Cluster for Sustainable and Infrastructure-Compatible Hydrogen Economy (HC-H2). The cluster is coordinating the demonstration project called Multi-SOFC at the hospital in Erkelingen. The installation of a pre-series type of a new type of SOFC fuel cell from Bosch is currently underway as the first stage.
“There is a great deal of interest in what is happening in our hospital,” Muckel reported on the response after the project launch was announced at the start of the year. He is not only closely involved in the project in his role as mayor of Erkelenz. Muckel is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees, which supports the Hermann-Josef Hospital. “Our hospital is the largest employer in Erkelenz and is one of the largest employers in the Heinsberg district. It is already very sustainable. Now we are taking the next big step.”
The Rhenish mining area
At the HC-H2 headquarters, Stephan Muckel spoke with Prof. Andreas Peschel from the Institute for Sustainable Hydrogen Economy (INW) at Forschungszentrum Jülich. The INW forms the core of the Helmholtz Hydrogen Cluster. In future, the demonstration projects in the Rhineland region will be coordinated and scientifically supervised from here.
The project at Erkelenz hospital is the first to be launched, with more to follow next year.
Die Demonstrationsregion
“With the project in Erkelenz, we are moving from the concept phase to application. An energy system of the future will soon be visible at Hermann-Josef Hospital,” said Andreas Peschel, explaining one of the special features of the project. “We are very happy that we have found an open contact and local implementer in the hospital. This is how the demonstration region works.”
By demonstration region, Andreas Peschel is referring to the plan to install around 15 innovative hydrogen technologies in the Rhineland region by 2038. The Erkelenz project is the result of a collaboration between HC-H2, the hospital and the companies Bosch and Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the project with 23.6 million euros.
Once the Bosch SOFC fuel cells have been installed, the system is first supplied with natural gas. Even when running on natural gas alone, the fuel cell is significantly more efficient than the gas engine running in parallel, with an electrical efficiency of 60 percent. Efficiency increases because the fuel cell produces waste heat during operation, which is initially used to supply heat to the hospital. In addition, the fuel cell emits 40 percent less CO2 than the gas engine when running on natural gas.
Over the course of 2024, hydrogen will be gradually added to the natural gas, which will further reduce CO2 emissions. The final expansion stage will then consist of a combination of the SOFC fuel cell with LOHC technology, which will enable further synergy effects.
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