ABO Wind AG: Hydrogen project enters the next phase

ABO Wind has ordered two electrolysis systems from the manufacturer FEST and thus reached an important milestone for the company's first hydrogen project. In Hünfeld, Germany (Hesse), ABO Wind is developing a hybrid project consisting of a wind turbine, hydrogen production and a hydrogen filling station. Now the lighthouse project is entering the next phase.

The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Digital Affairs and Transport as part of the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme with a total of around 12 million euros. The funding directive is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ).

The electrolyser and the hydrogen filling station for buses and trucks are being built in the logistics park “Hessisches Kegelspiel” in Hünfeld-Michelsrombach near Fulda, in direct proximity of a motorway exit. The electricity from the wind turbine will be transported to the electrolyser via a direct line. Here, green hydrogen will be produced, which will then be compressed for the refuelling of fuel cell vehicles at the filling station.

The planned facility is the largest in Germany to date that directly couples a wind turbine with electrolysis to produce green hydrogen. With its central location in Germany and its immediate proximity to the motorway, the filling station is ideally located for logistics companies investing in hydrogen-powered trucks. In this way, the project contributes to a successful mobility turnaround and lays the foundation for a quiet and emission-free heavy-duty transport sector.

In the project team, the joy about the signed contract with the electrolyser manufacturer FEST is correspondingly great: "FEST has offered us a customised, technologically excellent solution, with which we can now implement the project," says Dr Jochen Ahn, founder and Managing Director of ABO Wind. The Sales Manager of FEST, Raymond Schmid, is also pleased about the concluded deal: "We are proud to work with a customer like ABO Wind and to deliver our technology for this lighthouse project." The two electrolysis systems have a combined output of five megawatts and thus can produce around 90 kilograms of hydrogen per hour under full load. A truck needs about eight kilogrammes of hydrogen for a range of 100 kilometres. If necessary, the electrolyser's output can also be expanded to eight megawatts.

The development team had already achieved another important success last year: in December, ABO Wind and Air Liquide Advanced Technologies (ALAT) had signed the supply contract for the hydrogen fuelling station and filling plant. "We are pleased to contribute our hydrogen technology to the success of ABO Wind’s pioneering project," says Markus Schewitza, CEO of ALAT. "The modular filling station technology fits our needs perfectly. We greatly appreciate working with such an innovative and experienced partner," adds Dr Jochen Ahn. The next milestone followed in June 2023 when ABO Wind received the permit to construct the wind turbine. The start of construction of the Nordex wind turbine generator with an output of 4.8 megawatts is scheduled for February 2024.

Commissioning of the complete facility is planned for the end of 2024. The electrolysers are expected to produce hydrogen for the first time in January 2025. In addition to the refuelling of commercial hydrogen vehicles on site, it is also planned to use the integrated filling station to supply other users with hydrogen, for example hydrogen filling stations without an own hydrogen production. In this way, the Michelsrombach site could develop into a regional hydrogen distribution centre. In addition to the mobility sector, industry in particular also needs green hydrogen. Since hydrogen is easy to transport, it opens up numerous other possibilities of use.