Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Hydrogen is considered a promising energy carrier that can have a major impact on the transition to a climate-friendly energy supply, thus contributing to the decarbonization of industry and the transport sector. Digital solutions play a decisive role in making the production, distribution and use of hydrogen safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective. Digital solutions can facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources into hydrogen production, and enable improved interconnectivity between production and consumption. In this context, digital solutions are becoming increasingly important in hydrogen production and will play an important future role in the energy transition. In addition, digital options are an important growth driver that can pave the way for new business models. Since 2021, Fraunhofer IMW has been working together with various research partners to digitally support the market development of the hydrogen sector in Germany. The group evaluates the obstacles and challenges faced by the digital H2 ramp-up and discusses the measures needed.
Discovery Day and workshops
The Discovery Days are aimed at companies that are (or would like to be) intensively involved with digital technologies and their role in establishing a sustainable hydrogen economy. The workshops cover various aspects, including the digitalization of hydrogen production plants, the integration of hydrogen into existing energy infrastructures, the role of digital technologies in the optimization of hydrogen networks and the development of digital business models in the hydrogen sector. The aim of the Discovery Days is to convey an understanding of the key role played by digital solutions in implementing a sustainable hydrogen economy, and to situate these solutions within an individual hydrogen strategy, including initial ideas for implementation. So far, three such Discovery Days have been held in various formats.
HyTrust – Data exchange in the hydrogen economy
The HyTrust research project focuses on the issue of data exchange in the emerging hydrogen economy. This sector plays a crucial role in tackling socially relevant problems such as the energy transition. The development of digital solutions and the promotion of innovation and competition depend heavily on the ability to share data effectively. Despite the increasing availability of data, cross-organizational data exchange has so far been implemented only sparingly. This is due to various obstacles, including lack of trust, fear of losing know-how, fear of competitive disadvantages, and the lack of a secure organizational framework and clear business models. In this context, data trust models (DTMs) are a promising approach for promoting cross-organizational data exchange and commercial date use. A key objective is to strengthen individual control over data traffic. Nevertheless, the introduction of data trust models is associated with numerous questions that need to be examined in various subject areas. The HyTrust project, which is being carried out by Fraunhofer IEE in Kassel and Fraunhofer IMW in Leipzig, aims to research the implementation of data trust systems in the emerging hydrogen economy for different application contexts. The project focuses on two use cases: a hydrogen industrial park and the corresponding hydrogen networks, and capacity marketing. The HyTrust project is therefore an important step toward tackling the challenges of data exchange and commercial data use in the hydrogen economy, thus contributing to the successful implementation of the energy transition.
Cluster of Excellence »Integrated Energy Systems« (CINES)
The Energy Systems Analysis Division of the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence »Integrated Energy Systems« CINES is coordinated by Fraunhofer ISI. CINES addresses the central technological and economic challenges resulting from the system and market integration of high shares of variable renewable energies into the energy system, and focuses on hydrogen production via electrolysis as a central element of this transition. Its services are primarily aimed at policy makers and decision-makers at national and EU level, but also at stakeholders in the energy industry (TSOs, energy suppliers, federal network agencies, etc.). They include:
- Modeling of the overall energy systems in high resolution
- Development of tools to visualize the status of the German energy transition and the transformation of the German energy system
- Path analysis to climate neutrality. To this end, CINES tackles issues surrounding the integration of renewable energies and the role of hydrogen in the future energy system
- Development of a comprehensive database on the German and European energy system. Pooling of expertise from various Fraunhofer institutes and the combined use of different models
Long-term scenarios
The project »Long-term scenarios for the transformation of the energy system in Germany« (long-term scenarios 3), funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, is modeling scenarios for the future development of the energy system, which will enable energy and climate policy goals to be achieved. The modeling covers the entire energy system, i.e. the generation of electricity, heat and hydrogen as well as the demand for energy in the industrial and transport sectors, and from buildings and appliances. The energy infrastructures (electricity and gases) are also modeled. The focus of the analysis is not to develop an individual »lead scenario«, but rather the investigation of different scenario worlds, performing comparative analyses to gain insights into the advantages and disadvantages of alternative paths to transforming the energy system. The project provides detailed results, data sets and content in the form of a scenario explorer and a large number of topic-specific webinars for science, industry and politics.
HYPAT – Global H2 Potential Atlas
The HYPAT project is developing a global hydrogen potential atlas. For the first time, it is creating a comprehensive list of potential partner countries with which Germany could jointly develop a green hydrogen economy, taking particular account of the significance of the production regions for a secure, economical and ecologically sustainable supply. The project is based on the objectives of the German National Hydrogen Strategy, the international agreement on climate protection and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to a detailed survey of global techno-economic potential and an analysis of the hydrogen chains, the study also considers the symmetrical needs of the partner countries. This includes their need to sustainably meet their own energy demand, achieve their own climate targets and comply with specific sustainability criteria for the hydrogen economy. The ability of the partner countries to build such capital- and technology-intensive plants is also evaluated. Opportunities arising for these countries are identified, and acceptance and stakeholder analyses are carried out. The resulting supply of hydrogen and synthesis products is then compared with the global demand from importing countries. The analysis centers on how hydrogen markets will establish themselves, and what market prices can be expected for hydrogen in the future. Finally, policy recommendations are being prepared for the development of a sustainable import strategy for Germany.
TransHyDE-Sys
The flagship project TransHyDE is one of three hydrogen flagship projects of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), and is concerned with the development of a hydrogen transport infrastructure. To this end, several hydrogen infrastructure technologies will be developed, evaluated and demonstrated. In order to overcome the challenges inherent in establishing a hydrogen economy, the TransHyDE flagship project comprises both demonstration projects and research alliances. In the TransHyDE-Sys research network – »System analysis of transport solutions for green hydrogen« – the cross-sectional project of system analysis will play a particular role: on the one hand, essential system knowledge will be generated for the time-sequenced construction and coupling of energy infrastructures, drawing on in-house modeling and simulation work as well as ecological analyses. On the other hand, observations, analyses and requirements from the implementation and research projects will be compiled, compared with existing knowledge and classified in a comprehensive manner. The results will be incorporated in a continuously evolving roadmap. This will provide ongoing support for the research and implementation projects, identify potential research and development topics for the next project phases, and provide important recommendations for external stakeholders.
Modeling and simulation of fuel cell systems in hybrid applications
Simulation plays an increasingly central role in modern development processes, shortening development cycles and avoiding time-consuming intermediate steps in cost-intensive prototypes. Extensive expertise is available at the Fraunhofer institutes, particularly in the area of fuel cell systems and their integration into vehicles. One focus of work at Fraunhofer IVI is the modeling of fuel cell systems to create efficient and low-wear operating strategies for vehicles. The institute's own models of fuel cells and battery systems are applied. These include both performance and wear characteristics, and are created using test rigs for cell and system characterization. The operating strategies developed for use in hybrid powertrains with batteries and fuel cells are self-learning and predictive, and they optimize component service life and system efficiency. The focus of the simulation and modeling is to determine and utilize component properties in various use scenarios for commercial vehicles, rail vehicles, agricultural machinery and specialized vehicles. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that the operating strategies developed can be executed in real time on vehicle control units, so that the transition from simulation to reality is as straightforward as possible. These integrative simulation tasks provide direct support to vehicle developers in the areas of vehicle dimensioning and design. However, Fraunhofer explores the issues in yet more detail. At Fraunhofer ISE, for example, fuel cell system development and simulation is carried out at cell and stack level. This provides insights into the physico-chemical effects at micro and macro level, which are necessary to describe the performance and aging behavior in relation to component design, material selection and system management. Analytical and numerical models from 0-D to 3-D are used, alongside machine learning methods to analyze in particular the impact of different production proc