hy.kiel: JP Joule contributes to the ecosystem for green hydrogen

The Kiel-based gas station company Anton Willer, the SVG Road Traffic Cooperative Schleswig-Holstein from Neumünster, the Dr. Curt Heinrich Nachfolger GmbH, Professor Hans-Hinrich Sievers, as well as the North Frisian energy transition specialist GP JOULE, have announced the establishment of a regional and green hydrogen ecosystem. For its operation, the joint company hy.kiel was founded.

Starting in summer 2023, green hydrogen will be available at a new public gas station in Kiel-Moorsee for buses, trucks, and cars. Initially, the first users will be two fuel cell buses from Autokraft, which are planned to be used in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district. Businesses from Wellsee with truck freight traffic have also expressed their intention to use the gas station. Additionally, hydrogen vehicles will be procured for the fleets of the hy.kiel partners and the Kieler Nachrichten.

Commercial vehicle operators as core clientele

The fuel cell cars, trucks, and hydrogen buses that will be used in public transport will exclusively use green hydrogen, thus operating emission-free as the partners advertise. The exhaust will produce only water vapor. Moreover, they are significantly quieter than vehicles with combustion engines, with the same range and a similarly short refueling time. The hydrogen gas station will be the first of its kind in the state capital to offer hydrogen from renewable energies, but it will be the fifth gas station in Schleswig-Holstein. At the same time, it aims to signal the start of emission-free mobility for many users, especially in heavy-duty traffic in the Kiel region.

"As a traditional Kiel-based company, we have been supplying fuel and energy to the people of Kiel and Schleswig-Holstein for 87 years, so it was clear to us that we had to be pioneers here," explains Georg Willer, managing partner of Anton Willer GmbH & Co. KG.

His colleague Axel Niesing, also managing director of hy.kiel GmbH & Co. KG, adds that they want to advance the energy transition with green hydrogen and add a new technology to their portfolio. For Thorben Hänel-Muhs, CEO of SVG and co-managing director of hy.kiel, hydrogen is a fundamental energy carrier of the future.

"It is only by including hydrogen as a green propulsion technology that it will be possible to make heavy-duty transport and especially public transport climate-neutral in the long term," believes the SVG chief.

For Kiel, the realization of green hydrogen infrastructure means a clear commitment to climate-friendly technologies and increases the attractiveness for existing and newly establishing enterprises, says Christian Heinrich, partner of Dr. Curt Heinrich Nachfolger GmbH.

Electrolyzer directly at the gas station

The electrolyzer that produces green hydrogen from renewable electricity will also be installed at the gas station in Kiel-Moorsee. Initially, it will be able to produce up to 260 tons of green hydrogen annually. This corresponds to the daily refueling of 15 trucks, 8 buses, and 28 cars, thus providing an emission-free total range of up to 26,500 km per day. Potentially, the waste heat generated by the electrolyzer could be fed into a district heating network, which could significantly increase the overall efficiency of the plant, according to the operator.

"When the connection between renewable energy production and local consumption becomes clear, we can convince citizens of our sustainable projects," believes André Steinau, also managing director of hy.kiel and GP JOULE Hydrogen GmbH.

With local hydrogen production directly at the gas station, the hydrogen buses, the planned trucks, our company cars, and hopefully many more cars and light commercial vehicles, this connection will become directly experienceable, sketches the managing director.