Berlin, 12 May 2010. Germany in the Year of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells 2010: In the lead up to the World Hydrogen Energy Conference (WHEC) in Essen, the Clean Energy Partnership, a syndicate of thirteen global corporations, sends an important signal. CEP partners Linde, Statoil and TOTAL expand the hydrogen infrastructure in Germany by opening a new H2 fuelling station on Holzmarktstrasse in Berlin.

The high-tech fueling station is equipped to offer long-term fuel supply to over 40 cars and commuter buses presently being tested by the CEP.

State-of-the-art refueling

The TOTAL fuelling station on Holzmarktstrasse, hydrogen is dispensed in liquid and gaseous form via 350 bar and 700 bar filling pumps.

Statoil uses electrolysis to produce gaseous hydrogen on the premises. The electricity required for this is “green”, i.e. certified to come from renewable energy sources. The electrolysis device is a world first and can be powered up and shut down very quickly and flexibly, which makes it suitable for use with wind farms as well.

The refueling system for gaseous hydrogen including the underground storage facility was also developed by Statoil and reflects the latest research findings. This marks the first instance of hydrogen being kept at high pressure (up to 1000bar) in a space-saving, safe underground storage. The refueling system communicates both with the storage facility and with the tank of the vehicle being refueled and produces the required pressure in each case.

Linde supplies liquid hydrogen from Germany’s only industrial hydrogen liquefaction plant in Leuna. Starting in autumn 2010, part of its hydrogen will be produced from glycerin, a waste product in the production of Biodiesel. The hydrogen, delivered by tanker, is stored without the need for after-cooling in a super-insulated tank developed by Linde. Refueling is achieved using fully automated automotive coupling with a mechanical handling aid, for a fast, user-friendly procedure.

Efficient energy supply

The technological highlight of the facility is a miniature CHP (combined heat and power plant) that uses the surplus gaseous hydrogen to supply energy and heat to the fuelling station. In addition, a photovoltaic array and wind turbines generate energy on-site. The fuelling station’s developer and operator TOTAL supplies the infrastructure both for the liquid hydrogen and for the CHP.

Germany en route to a nationwide H2 infrastructure

With the new hydrogen fuelling station, TOTAL, Statoil and Linde are raising the bar for progressive refueling technology to the latest technical standards. In addition, it demonstrates the spectrum of possible uses for this climate-neutral energy carrier. The facility is an important element in a steadily expanding hydrogen infrastructure. Four other H2 fuelling stations are planned in Hamburg and Berlin and along the A24 as part of the CEP project.