The speakers were the two professors Dr Belal Dawoud and Dr Johannes Eckstein. The Bavarian-Czech research project Hydromun - H2 for municipalities and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), which is funded by the EU INTERREG funding programme, was also presented by Jeremy Weindler, research assistant in the sorption processes laboratory, and Šárka Kuthanová, employee of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen - in German and Czech. The participants were welcomed by Dr Marcus Graf, Head of the Centre for Research and Transfer at OTH Regensburg, and Richard Röck, Head of the Energy, Innovation, Environment and Industry Division at IHK Regensburg.
Prof Dawoud presented a storage technology for hydrogen that is based on a REDOX reaction of iron oxide pellets, which are mainly made from iron ore. Prof Dawoud's team has succeeded in investigating and producing cycle-stable pellets in detail. Prof. Dawoud made it clear: ‘The production of the pellets developed at OTH Regensburg can now be scaled up for use in seasonal hydrogen storage systems and integrated, tested and optimised in various industrial sectors.’ He is looking for partners from industry for this. He also mentioned the advantages of his H2 storage technology: iron ore is available in abundance as a raw material and is inexpensive, and the storage system is very safe, as iron pellets are in the reactor during the storage phase rather than H2. In addition, a high storage capacity and extremely high purity of the hydrogen stored are achieved.
Prof Eckstein then presented approaches on how to harmonise technology and economics. Because: ‘German companies see H2 as an opportunity, but demand a rapid payback,’ he said. In his presentation, he also pointed out the investment risks for companies, such as forecasting uncertainties with regard to the electricity price or political decisions: while Germany relies almost exclusively on green hydrogen from renewable energy sources, in the neighbouring Czech Republic, so-called pink hydrogen, which is produced using electricity from nuclear power, is by no means a no-go. In order to provide companies with a low-threshold introduction to the topic, Prof. Eckstein referred to the Sustainable Energy and Hydrogen Systems degree programme, which has also been offered on a dual basis since the winter semester 2024/25 - as a cooperation partner, companies could benefit directly from the transfer of knowledge from the university.
Jeremy Weindler and Šárka Kuthanová then highlighted further opportunities for cooperation with the Hydromun project. The ongoing project aims to establish a network for the transfer of knowledge on renewable hydrogen systems specifically for SMEs. A tool is to be developed to enable companies with hydrogen as a business area to get in touch with companies interested in using hydrogen. A preliminary assessment of the prospects of success will be made available to the participating companies free of charge. In this context, the two invited to the hydrogen workshop in Wunsiedel, which the Hydromun project is organising on 18 February 2025. Interested parties can register here: https://hydromun.eu/aktuelles/
A get-together was followed by a tour of the ‘Sustainable Energy and Hydrogen Processes’ laboratory run by Prof Dr Belal Dawoud. There, he and research assistant Stefan Ettengruber showed and explained the H2 reactor test bench and the production process for hydrogen storage pellets.
The presentations of the event:
