Green hydrogen for the energy and transport system of the future, an environmentally friendly update for industrial processes and technologies for innovative climate protection – the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is giving an exciting insight into current research at the digital Hannover Messe 2021. TheDLR online exhibition stand shows mainly ideas and projects from science and Technology transfer. The content will also be available beyond the trade fair period (April 12-16, 2021).
DLR and hydrogen: know-how along the entire process chain
Green hydrogen is considered an all-round talent for the energy and transport transition. It can be used for clean mobility, the efficient supply of electricity and heat, as a storage device to compensate for fluctuating renewable energies, as a basis for alternative fuels or as process gas in industry. “At DLR, we keep an eye on the entire hydrogen process chain and combine know-how and experience from aerospace, energy and transport research. Our focus is on developing technologies for future-oriented energy systems. The aim is to provide energy in a wide variety of forms in a sustainable, reliable and affordable way “, summarizes Prof. Karsten Lemmer, member of the DLR Executive Board and responsible for the area of innovation, technology transfer and scientific infrastructure.
The DLR experts are partners of the economy as well as advisors and initiators in the political process. Decisions in the energy industry and energy policy have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences. That is why a central component of the DLR research work is a forward-looking and comprehensive system analysis. Based on this, the DLR scientists are working, for example, on better electrolysis processes to produce hydrogen industrially, on novel solar manufacturing processes and are looking for solutions to store and transport hydrogen as efficiently as possible. Closely related to this is research work by DLR on the use of hydrogen in the energy sector, in industry, for mobility in road, rail, ship and air transport, and for flight into space.
Decarbonising industry: reducing CO2 emissions, fighting climate change
Climate protection and environmentally friendly production are new competitive factors and drive industrial change. DLR is involved in a large number of projects. The focus is on the energy and resource-efficient design of industrial processes, the role of alternative fuels and the sustainable supply of factories and production facilities with electricity and heat from renewable sources. The large research facilities at DLR make it possible to develop and test new technologies under real conditions and are also available to partners from science and industry. These include the solar tower power plant developed at DLR. Here, 500 movable mirrors bundle the sun’s rays to heat up ceramic particles. These particles store the heat and can be used as an environmentally friendly energy source for various industrial applications. Exactly this process will soon be used in a pilot project for pasta production in Italy to reduce emissions – a successful example of how low-carbon technologies from DLR are being used in practice.
Further reinforcement: three new energy institutes for DLR
With the establishment of three new institutes, DLR is intensifying its activities to further reduce carbon emissions in the energy, mobility and economy sectors.
The Institute for low-carbon industrial processesinvestigates how large and energy-intensive industrial sectors – for example the production of steel, aluminum, cement and chemical products – can be redesigned so that they cause far fewer harmful emissions. High-temperature heat pumps play a central role here. They are a large-scale option for electricity-heat coupling in industry.
The Institute for Maritime Energy Systemsdevelops and tests new and efficient energy systems for shipping and the necessary infrastructure. Alternative fuels are to be used in combination with fuel cell and battery systems.
At the heart of the Institute for Future Fuelsare technological concepts to produce sustainable fuels with the help of concentrated solar radiation. In the future, this can take place on an industrial scale, especially in the Earth’s sun belt, and enable global trade. To this end, the institute develops materials, components and processes in close cooperation with partners from industry.