German pump and water services company Wilo has developed a decentralised hydrogen production and power unit that is sized for a small number of domestic properties or a business site.
Wilo’s small-scale system, H2Powerplant, uses electrolysis to produce hydrogen. When it is needed, a fuel cell can then be used to convert the hydrogen back into electrical energy and the waste heat is either used in the interconnected system for heating, stored or converted into cooling on site.
Wilo build its first pilot project for H2Powerplant in 2022, at its own Wilopark site in Dortmund.
Initially it said the intention was to use the plant as an emergency power supply, but as the project evolved it went on to power much more across the site, including lighting, the EV charging system and part of the heating.
Now the system will be rolled out to all Wilo locations. It will now to market in four different sizes, which will be able to generate power equal to the annual demand of either three, five, or 20 households. The system can also be used to support new and/or existing combined heat and power (CHP) systems that have been designed to work with a blended hydrogen mix, meaning it also has the potential for retrofit applications.
Dave Williamson, sales and marketing director at Wilo UK, said, “Companies using gas or CHP systems that will operate with a blended gas mix that can utilise hydrogen from the H2Powerplant and reduce carbon emissions within existing infrastructure. Wilo has already received enquiries from world-leading large energy users in the UK, wanting to implement the H2Powerplant as part of their own net zero strategies and when bidding for major sustainability-driven tenders.”