Visit by the District President of Arnsberg

On 7 February, the District President of Arnsberg, Heinrich Böckelühr, visited the Wilo Group headquarters in Dortmund together with representatives of various companies and initiatives. In addition to an exchange on the topic of hydrogen, the Wilo hydrogen plant was also viewed at close quarters.

Green hydrogen is considered to play a key role in the energy transition. As a climate-neutral alternative to fossil fuels, hydrogen can be used in many ways and makes it possible to reduce CO2 emissions, especially in the industry. To achieve the hydrogen goals in Germany, small, decentralised projects that can be set up comparatively quickly must urgently be made possible. Such plants in container format can thus find space in industrial parks, business parks or at medium-sized production sites and the hydrogen produced can be used directly on site - as it is already happening on the campus of the Dortmund-based technology group.

Today, many of the technologies necessary for the hydrogen economy are Wilo's core business - from emission-free energy generation to the pumping and transport of water. Since the end of last year, the H2POWERPLANT in Dortmund has been using electrolysis to convert energy from the sun and water into green hydrogen, which is stored locally. When needed, the hydrogen can be converted back into electricity and heat via a fuel cell, or alternatively it can be extracted directly. The waste heat can be used in the interconnected system on the Wilopark or converted into cooling by the absorption chillers on site. The Wilopark's own rainwater retention system supplies the electrolysers with the required water, and in-house water treatment systems ensure the necessary water quality to meet the high demands of the electrolysers.

With the H2POWERPLANT, Wilo is creating the base for a self-sufficient, decentralised and regenerative energy supply network and demonstrates how industrial companies can make an essential contribution to climate protection and supply security with forward-looking and highly technological solutions.

In the long term, the Group plans to transfer the system to selected Wilo locations and partners and customers are also showing great interest. In addition to a strong piece of climate protection, which feeds green energy into the infrastructure, the operator of such a system becomes more resilient to the electricity market, can use renewable energies more effectively and invests in a future without fossil process gas.

A central topic at the meeting in Dortmund was therefore also the approval processes for hydrogen plants of this size. "The legal framework conditions are not yet fully developed, guidelines and laws for the construction and operation of a hydrogen plant are missing. We are open to an exchange with stakeholders from business, science, and politics to quickly find pragmatic, legal solutions," explains Georg Weber, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and member of the Executive Board of the Wilo Group.