Nine days all about hydrogen

Hydrogen is a key technology in the energy transition - and Bremerhaven holds many of the keys in its hands. BIS Wirtschaftsförderung Bremerhaven and the local hydrogen association H2BX will be showcasing them during Hydrogen Week 2024 from 15 to 23 June.
"Hydrogen is more than just a colourless and odourless gas," says Claas Schott, CEO of H2BX. "With hydrogen, green energy can be stored and transported in sufficient quantities so that the transformation of industry and the transport transition can succeed on water, rail and in the air."
The phase of pure visions, ideas and feasibility studies is over: Hydrogen technology is becoming tangible in implementation and application. "With the updating of the National Hydrogen Strategy, the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy is gaining momentum," explains BIS Managing Director Nils Schnorrenberger. "The entire value chain is represented in Bremerhaven: The energy carrier hydrogen and its derivatives, such as methanol, are produced using renewable energies and used directly in industry, transport and society."

Nine days all about hydrogen

As a colourful information event over nine days, the nationwide "Hydrogen Week" offers the perfect platform to find out about the potential and challenges of hydrogen as an energy source, learn about innovative technologies and exchange ideas with experts. Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences is combining specialist input with barbecue fun: "We will be demonstrating a mobile fuel cell unit and a hydrogen combustion engine as a power and heat generation unit. We will also generate electricity from hydrogen and use it to power a barbecue and a deep fryer to prepare chips and sausages. The aim is to show that electricity can be generated from hydrogen in a mobile and self-sufficient way (gas to power) and that this can be utilised in various applications," announces Uwe Werner, Professor of Electrical Drive Technology at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. Bremerhaven is participating for the fifth time with a varied programme under the organisational leadership of Dr Saskia Greiner, Innovation Manager at BIS Wirtschaftsförderung Bremerhaven, and Claas Schott from the H2BX association.
"Hydrogen is not yet present in society and yet it will have a significant impact on it," says BIS Innovation Manager Dr Saskia Greiner. "With Hydrogen Week, we are making hydrogen 'tangible' and at the same time promoting hydrogen research and applications in Bremerhaven. We have great projects and institutions in the city that are simply worth reporting on."

Cycling into the hydrogen future

The programme for Hydrogen Week 2024 in Bremerhaven includes two live events and a range of digital offerings. The highlight is a bicycle tour for everyone to the hydrogen highlights in Bremerhaven. With the support of ADFC Bremerhaven, the cycle tour has been designed for the first time so that people with disabilities can also take part. The meeting point is at 10 a.m. on Saturday, 22 June at timeport 3. The first stop on the 15-kilometre route will be the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. The AWI reports on new shipbuilding projects and alternative propulsion systems. The next stop is the viewing container, where there will be information about the Fraunhofer IWES Hydrogen Lab at Luneort, the planned EnergyPort, the H2 test centre and the LUNE DELTA sustainable business park. At ttz Bremerhaven, the plasmalyser, mobile hydrogen refuelling station and hydrogen-powered forklift truck will be presented. The last stop will be at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, where a hydrogen-powered engine will be demonstrated. The event is expected to end at around 3 p.m. at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences.

Great success with small model boats

The HyShipCup on Wednesday, 19 June from 13:30 will also be exciting and vivid. Small hydrogen model boats will be competing for victory at the shipyard fountain in front of the Great Church. As part of the HyShipCup project, trainees from the training organisation Berufliche Bildung Bremerhaven GmbH have built model boats with electrolysers, storage tanks and real fuel cells. Which of tomorrow's skilled workers has built the fastest, most efficient and most technically adept model boat and will come out on top?

Exciting contributions in the social networks

Throughout the nine days, video clips on social media will bring the diverse projects and partners in Bremerhaven closer. It starts on Saturday, 15 June, at 7 pm with the opening of Hydrogen Week 2024 by Lord Mayor Melf Grantz. Dr Saskia Greiner, Claas Schott and Mona M. Kaluza from the Week of Hydrogen will explain what is happening in Bremerhaven in relation to hydrogen and why the Week of Hydrogen is so important in the podcast by Professor Dr Lars Jürgensen (Bremen University of Applied Sciences) on Spotify from 7 pm on Sunday, 16 June.
Daily video clips will provide information on hydrogen topics and projects at 7 pm. On Monday, 17 June, Kevin Schalk from the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) will present the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven and the Fraunhofer IWES training programme. On Tuesday, 18 June, Prof. Gerhard Schories from the Technology Transfer Centre Bremerhaven (ttz) will explain how hydrogen can be extracted from wastewater using the plasmalyser. On Wednesday, 19 June, Andreas Nowacki (Berufliche Bildung Bremerhaven) will talk about collaborative training and training opportunities for renewable energy technologies. On Thursday, 20 June, Professor Uwe Werner will present research into hydrogen engines and mobile fuel cells at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences. On Friday, 21 June, Fabian Klein from ttz Bremerhaven will show how green methanol and methane are produced on an industrial scale in the MariSynFuel project.
The Week of Hydrogen in Bremerhaven will conclude with a video clip featuring Saskia Greiner and Claas Schott on Sunday, 23 June, also at 7 pm.

(Source: Press release from BIS Bremerhavener Gesellschaft für Investitionsförderung und Stadtentwicklung mbH, translated with DeepL)