Ralf Bandorf, Christoph Imdahl, Kai Ortner, Stefan Körner, Stephan Ulrich, Philipp Reinders, Rowena Duckstein, Guido Hora, Michael Vergöhl, Sabrina Zellmer, Christoph Herrmann, Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, Braunschweig, Germany
Hydrogen is seen as a key enabler and game changer for achieving the ambitious goals of the transition to climate neutrality. In almost all areas of the hydrogen economy, thin films can make a significant contribution to improvement and progress of the core technologies along the value chain.
For example, Salzgitter, a sprawling city in the heart of Germany, known for its robust industrial sector with numerous large and medium-sized companies, is facing major challenges due to the ongoing structural changes in CO₂-dominated production and mobility. To address/meet these challenges, the implementation of a “green” hydrogen infrastructure as part of the Hydrogen Campus Salzgitter offers promising solutions. The Hydrogen Campus Salzgitter, in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST), aims to leverage a comprehensive understanding of the hydrogen value chain. This understanding ranges from hydrogen production to storage, distribution, and utilization, with a particular focus on the further development of technologies and materials for electrolysers, storage and fuel cells. Additionally, the optimization of coupled system elements will be pursued to improve overall efficiency and functionality. The use of digital tools to model and evaluate technical interdependencies, as well as economic and environmental dependencies, is also an integral part of the research agenda.
This presentation will start with the motivation for decarbonization and the potential of green hydrogen within this scenario. A case study of the joint efforts of the Hydrogen Campus Salzgitter, its partners and the specific role and tasks of Fraunhofer IST in creating a sustainable and technologically advanced hydrogen economy will be presented. To support the transition to hydrogen, an interactive module-based E-learning program with a personal certification course on “Net Zero Scenario – how to achieve it with hydrogen” has been created and successfully launched. Following the hydrogen value chain thin film scenarios will be motivated and discussed. This will focus on hydrogen generation, covering aspects of photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation (PEC) and electrolysis (mainly AEL and PEM). The separation of high purity hydrogen from mixed gases will then briefly discussed. Solutions are found in the areas of storage, transport and utilization.