The city of Ulm, the Alb-Donau district and the district of Reutlingen have been selected by the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management of Baden-Württemberg (Ministerium für Umwelt, Klima und Energiewirtschaft Baden-Württemberg) as locations for the implementation of a demonstration project entitled “Green Hydrogen Model Region” (“Modellregion Grüner Wasserstoff”). The Hy-FIVE project outline, which was jointly prepared together with the neighbouring districts of Heidenheim, Tübingen and the Ostalb district, will be supported by the state of Baden-Württemberg with funding of up to 33 million euros over the next few years as part of the ERDF programme. In doing so, two regions in the first HyLand phase, Reutlingen (HyStarter) and Ulm (HyExpert), are receiving this funding support.
Without the utilisation of hydrogen as an energy carrier, the ambitious goal of becoming carbon neutral does not seem achievable. For this reason, a consortium consisting of the city of Ulm, the Alb-Donau district and the district of Reutlingen responded to the call for funding from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management for the realisation of a demonstration project entitled “Green Hydrogen Model Region” (“Modellregion Grüner Wasserstoff”) with the project outline Hy-FIVE. Now, the project outline, which was developed together with the neighbouring districts of Heidenheim, Tübingen and the Ostalb district, has been selected by the state of Baden-Württemberg from a total of nine applications within the framework of the EFRE programme and will be funded with up to 33 million euros in the coming years. The application is supported by a large number of organisations and companies from business and science.
The participating local authorities are anticipating an economic boost for the entire region, which can already boast great expertise in the field of hydrogen and fuel cell research and in the practical application of these technologies. Particular emphasis is placed on the practical production and application of “green” hydrogen, i.e., hydrogen produced in an environmentally friendly manner.
With the “Green Hydrogen Model Region”, the potentials of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are to be made visible by means of an integrated approach, which will also trigger a growing demand for hydrogen as an energy carrier. At the same time, the demonstration project is to serve as a blueprint for other cities and regions in Baden-Württemberg.
Alongside investment project components, such as investments in the infrastructure of the model region, the Hy-FIVE project also includes other non-investment project components. Among the latter are public relations activities and measures to raise public awareness on the topic of “green hydrogen”.
The consortium’s current outline is based on a total of four lighthouse projects in the various districts. A decentralised approach was deliberately chosen, allowing each of the partners to contribute their respective strengths:
- Production of green hydrogen based on hydropower and the integration/use in existing tank and loading infrastructures. (Project of Stadtwerke Ulm/Neu-Ulm GmbH together with Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research BW in Ulm (ZSW – Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoffforschung)
- Use of green hydrogen for truck fuel cell drives in logistics, municipal vehicles and public transport – fleet test and refuelling infrastructure. (Project of the Technical University of Ulm (THU) together with IVECO Magirus AG and various haulage companies)
- Construction of an industrial park in Schwäbisch Gmünd with the integration of an 8.5 MW PEM water electrolysis plant as the nucleus of a local hydrogen infrastructure with a future supraregional pipeline connection. (Project of the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd in cooperation with the Ostalb district)
- Development of a system for the local and cross-grid production, storage and transport of hydrogen as well as its most efficient use in municipalities, neighbourhoods, industry and households. (Universities of Reutlingen, Rottenburg and Ulm in cooperation with Stadtwerke Tübingen, FairNetz GmbH Reutlingen, FairEnergie GmbH Reutlingen, Stadtwerke Rottenburg, Stadtwerke Mössingen, AVAT GmbH and other companies).
- In addition, it is planned to establish an office for the region to coordinate the overall project, for public relations work and advisory services.
The project outline currently assumes a total project volume of about 57 million euros. The state of Baden-Württemberg has promised funding of around 33 million euros within the framework of the current ERDF programme. The funding period here extends until 2027, and the project duration is expected to extend beyond this period in individual sub-projects. The details will now be finalised in the coming months by the consortium in close consultation with the ministry as part of the procedure for a full application.
Two HyLand participants among the funded regions
With HyStarter Reutlingen and HyExpert Ulm, two participants from the first phase of the HyLand competition are among the funded regions. Coordinated by NOW GmbH, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure has been providing funding support for the HyLand – Hydrogen Regions in Germany project since 2018 to give municipalities and regions the opportunity to establish themselves as hydrogen regions. The development of stakeholder landscapes, the creation of regional concepts and the implementation of these concepts are among the categories funded by the programme. More information is available (in German) at www.hy.land.