Off to Brussels! thyssenkrupp nucera at the Hydrogen Europe Flagship Event

The European Commission's Hydrogen Week will take place in Brussels from October 24-28. thyssenkrupp nucera will take part at the associated Hydrogen Europe Flagship Event – as one of the largest suppliers of water electrolysis plants in the world. A good occasion to talk about the importance of such international events, the development of a hydrogen economy and thyssenkrupp nucera's role in the green transformation.

This year, Hydrogen Europe, one of the most important European hydrogen networks, is once again hosting the European Hydrogen Week in Brussels – bringing together hydrogen experts from companies, politics and associations for a direct and open exchange. An exciting event for thyssenkrupp nucera, the supplier of water electrolysis plants for the production of green hydrogen on an industrial scale. Werner Ponikwar, CEO of thyssenkrupp nucera, agrees: "Being part of Hydrogen Week is very important for a company like ours to be successful in business and also to be able to identify and set trends," he explains.

Green hydrogen as an energy carrier

Due to the current energy crisis, the topic of green hydrogen as a clean energy carrier has finally arrived in society, politics and the economy. Werner Ponikwar is convinced that this realization and the will to change are essential for achieving the climate targets and the question of which forms of energy will be used and expanded in the future. After all, hydrogen is seen as the hope for a climate-neutral economy.

The prerequisite for green hydrogen is its production with electricity from sustainable energy sources. During water electrolysis, water is separated into its components oxygen and hydrogen with the help of electricity. The energy of the green electricity is thus stored in green hydrogen. This makes the light molecule an efficient energy store that can be used as a climate-neutral fuel in steel production, for example.

Thus, it is no wonder, that the gas, which is actually colorless, is referred to as "green" and is often illustrated in this color – as it is in the context of the European Hydrogen Week. "I like the image of the green molecules," says Ponikwar. "It captures the idea that electricity from renewable sources can be used to generate green hydrogen, which is CO2-neutral, from water through electrolysis technology," says the hydrogen expert.

Driver for a green industry

But not all hydrogen is also climate-neutral. Unlike green hydrogen, gray hydrogen production generates carbon dioxide (today an estimated 900 million tons of CO2 per year). "Gray hydrogen is mainly produced by steam reforming of natural gas, from the refinery process and from coal gasification," explains Werner Ponikwar.

Compared to its gray predecessor, climate-neutral green hydrogen thus offers a key advantage for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus the global CO2 footprint. With their modular electrolysis plants, Werner Ponikwar and his colleagues are transferring these advantages to an industrial scale. "This is a powerful lever we are giving industry for decarbonization," adds the electrolysis expert. As a supplier of industrial-scale electrolysis plants, thyssenkrupp nucera is playing a key role in establishing a hydrogen economy.

thyssenkrupp nucera – a global player

In terms of installed capacity, thyssenkrupp nucera is already one of the world's leading suppliers of electrolysis technology. "We have over 50 years of experience in this challenging sector of technology – combined with a high level of innovative strength," emphasizes Ponikwar. Moreover, thyssenkrupp nucera demonstrates competitive strength. To date, the company has successfully completed no fewer than 600 electrochemical projects with more than 10 gigawatts of installed electrolyzer capacity in the chemical industry. Werner Ponikwar adds, "With the research and development work on our 'Carbon2Chem' pilot plant, we have the necessary experience. And we are also represented with our electrolysers in the major green hydrogen projects around the globe."

With their broad technology know-how, Werner Ponikwar and his colleagues are the specialists in the design, development, construction, purchasing and licensing of high-performance electrolysis technologies. In addition, together with thyssenkrupp Uhde and Industrie De Nora, they also offer engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning as well as selected erection services for electrolysis plants. "With our high-performance technology service we support our customers throughout the life cycle of installed plants with capacities ranging from several hundred megawatts to the multi-gigawatt range. I think that we can offer our customers a strong service package," says Werner Ponikwar.

Green hydrogen as an energy carrier

Due to the current energy crisis, the topic of green hydrogen as a clean energy carrier has finally arrived in society, politics and the economy. Werner Ponikwar is convinced that this realization and the will to change are essential for achieving the climate targets and the question of which forms of energy will be used and expanded in the future. After all, hydrogen is seen as the hope for a climate-neutral economy.

The prerequisite for green hydrogen is its production with electricity from sustainable energy sources. During water electrolysis, water is separated into its components oxygen and hydrogen with the help of electricity. The energy of the green electricity is thus stored in green hydrogen. This makes the light molecule an efficient energy store that can be used as a climate-neutral fuel in steel production, for example.

Thus, it is no wonder, that the gas, which is actually colorless, is referred to as "green" and is often illustrated in this color – as it is in the context of the European Hydrogen Week. "I like the image of the green molecules," says Ponikwar. "It captures the idea that electricity from renewable sources can be used to generate green hydrogen, which is CO2-neutral, from water through electrolysis technology," says the hydrogen expert.

Driver for a green industry

But not all hydrogen is also climate-neutral. Unlike green hydrogen, gray hydrogen production generates carbon dioxide (today an estimated 900 million tons of CO2 per year). "Gray hydrogen is mainly produced by steam reforming of natural gas, from the refinery process and from coal gasification," explains Werner Ponikwar.

Compared to its gray predecessor, climate-neutral green hydrogen thus offers a key advantage for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus the global CO2 footprint. With their modular electrolysis plants, Werner Ponikwar and his colleagues are transferring these advantages to an industrial scale. "This is a powerful lever we are giving industry for decarbonization," adds the electrolysis expert. As a supplier of industrial-scale electrolysis plants, thyssenkrupp nucera is playing a key role in establishing a hydrogen economy.

thyssenkrupp nucera – a global player

In terms of installed capacity, thyssenkrupp nucera is already one of the world's leading suppliers of electrolysis technology. "We have over 50 years of experience in this challenging sector of technology – combined with a high level of innovative strength," emphasizes Ponikwar. Moreover, thyssenkrupp nucera demonstrates competitive strength. To date, the company has successfully completed no fewer than 600 electrochemical projects with more than 10 gigawatts of installed electrolyzer capacity in the chemical industry. Werner Ponikwar adds, "With the research and development work on our 'Carbon2Chem' pilot plant, we have the necessary experience. And we are also represented with our electrolysers in the major green hydrogen projects around the globe."

With their broad technology know-how, Werner Ponikwar and his colleagues are the specialists in the design, development, construction, purchasing and licensing of high-performance electrolysis technologies. In addition, together with thyssenkrupp Uhde and Industrie De Nora, they also offer engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning as well as selected erection services for electrolysis plants. "With our high-performance technology service we support our customers throughout the life cycle of installed plants with capacities ranging from several hundred megawatts to the multi-gigawatt range. I think that we can offer our customers a strong service package," says Werner Ponikwar.