Hypion GmbH, situated in Heide, has received in-house funding of EUR 227,059 from the state of Schleswig-Holstein to develop a concept for the use of green hydrogen in freight transport in northern Germany.
“The transformation of the transport sector plays a central role in the hydrogen strategy of the state of Schleswig-Holstein,” said Energy Transition Minister Jan Philipp Albrecht: “Due to the excellent conditions for the production, storage and distribution of green hydrogen, the real north can do a nationwide and Europe-wide in this area Take a pioneering role. In total, we are providing funding of 30 million euros for the expansion of this technology until 2023.”
Hypion will collaborate with the Logistik-Initiative Schleswig-Holstein e. V. and companies from logistics, trade, municipal waste management, and the construction industry to prepare for the economic use of green hydrogen for freight transport in Schleswig-Holstein as part of the funded development project.
“Schleswig-Holstein is not only the number one energy transition country, but also an important logistics location. For the logistics industry, the use of green hydrogen offers the opportunity to make progress on the path to climate neutrality, ” says WTSH Managing Director Dr. Bernd Boesch.
The first specific implementation target is the establishment of a hydrogen-powered freight hub in Neumünster (H2 freight hub). Along with developing capacity for the production of green hydrogen, the major responsibilities include establishing the appropriate logistics, transporting hydrogen to conveniently located and truck-friendly hydrogen filling stations, and buying 20 hydrogen-powered vehicles. The first ten trucks are scheduled to arrive in Neumünster in 2022.
The findings of this pioneering experiment will be used to plan and build four additional H2 freight hubs in Schleswig-Holstein: According to current plans, in Lübeck, Heide, Itzehoe, and the district of Schleswig-Flensburg. Trucks are planned to travel 8 million kilometers per year using green hydrogen as fuel through the five H2 freight hubs in the coming years. This indicates that freight carriers may purchase approximately 800 tons of green hydrogen every year, saving almost 6.3 million pounds of CO2.
“With this project we want to create an economically viable blueprint for heavy-duty mobility,” said Hypion development manager Dr. Stefan Rehm. “In the long term, we aim to ensure that more vehicles from companies and municipalities use the existing hydrogen filling station infrastructure. As already actively started in Neumünster, Lübeck and Schleswig-Flensburg, a forward-looking contribution to the market activation of pollutant-free transports is being made in cooperation with local players. ”Hypion expects the development project to create six new jobs and secure four existing jobs in the long term .
