Delegation GH

Dr. Vandana Kumar, Additional Secretary, Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), led a delegation visit to green hydrogen projects in the chemical park Leuna and the city of Leipzig on 3 May 2022. Dr. Kumar is responsible for solar energy and green hydrogen at the ministry. At the Fraunhofer Centre for Chemical-Biotechnological Processes (CBP) in Leuna, Prof. Dr. Ralph Gottschalg gave a lecture on the centre’s green hydrogen research. The group visited a large-scale electrolyser test field implemented by Fraunhofer and the largest hydrogen compressor in Europe operated by Linde AG. In Leipzig, the group was welcomed to the office of the European Energy Exchange EEX. Discussions were held on the upcoming European green hydrogen trade and upcoming international tenders that will initiate a global market ramp-up. A highlight was the tour of a hydrogen-capable gas turbine in the south of Leipzig. Mr. Thomas Brandenburg, Director of New Business Models at the utility Stadtwerke Leipzig, spoke about the role of green hydrogen for future-oriented centralised electricity generation. Delivering hydrogen to residential homes was found not to be an option for the near future. In the future heat will either be supplied through the direct use of electricity in heat pumps or by making use of the waste heat from the hydrogen turbine being fed into a district heating pipe system.