Vattenfall has announced its participation in a new project that allows wind energy to be stored and converted into hydrogen gas.
The hydrogen can subsequently be used to generate electricity and heat in power plants or as fuel for cars. The hybrid power plant is located 75 miles north of Berlin and is the first in Europe, according to Vattenfall.
The project consists of three 2 MW wind turbines, a biogas unit, two combined heat and power plants, and an electrolysis unit that generates the hydrogen. Vattenfall says the project addresses the challenge of excess output and the need for energy storage.
The project brings together energy supplier Enertrag, French oil and gas company Total, and Siemens, as well as research institutions and environmental organizations. The initiative is also supported by several German states and the German Ministry of Transport and is known as the Performing Energy Alliance for Hydrogen from Wind.
"This is a unique project both for Germany and Europe as a whole," says Oliver Weinmann, head of Vattenfall innovation in Germany. "It combines the generation of renewable electricity, heat and hydrogen."
