Hydrogen Campus Hanover

Pooling local expertise to remove barriers to the development of innovative hydrogen-related products and training specialists for a carbon-neutral economy.

Überblick über den Wasserstoff-Campus Hannover — Overview of the Hannover Hydrogen Campus

The use of green hydrogen as an energy source or process gas is an effective way of significantly reducing the ecological footprint of companies. However, companies often have concerns about the safety or cost-effectiveness of hydrogen applications. As a result, many companies are reluctant to replace established applications with highly reactive hydrogen.

In order to break down existing barriers, the Hannover Region has funded the "Hydrogen Campus Hannover" initiative with around €600,000 from 2021 to 2024.

The goal:

Combining the collective expertise of all regional universities and research institutes to create individual opportunities for companies to use hydrogen. On the one hand, this involves the training and further education of specialists in the safe handling of hydrogen. On the other hand, a network of companies that develop innovative solutions for the production, transportation or use of green hydrogen is being created.

Offers of the Hydrogen Campus Hannover

Hydrogen-powered multicopter as the core of innovation

The Hydrogen Campus Hannover was created around a central student project in which a hydrogen-powered multicopter was developed by several student teams. The "Multicopter" team optimized the aircraft aerodynamically and determined the requirements for the hydrogen propulsion system. The "H2 fuel cell" team and the "H2 turbine" team attempted to fulfill these requirements as efficiently as possible.

The more effective result was subsequently designed, built and tested by the "Prototype" team. The results of the "System Integration" team were also used for this, which designed the electrical on-board network including hydrogen drive, electrical buffer storage and consumers.

Basic hydrogen laboratory for future specialists

The "ITV - Institute for Technical Combustion" set up two basic laboratories to increase understanding of the production and use of hydrogen. In the "Production and use of oxyhydrogen" laboratory, participants used electrolysis to produce a hydrogen-oxygen mixture (oxyhydrogen), which was then burned. In the "Combustion temperatures of hydrogen" lab, participants added water vapor to the hydrogen before combustion to lower the combustion temperature.

The participants learned procedures for controlling the combustion of hydrogen and used their own experience to overcome prejudices, such as unfounded, inhibiting safety concerns. After a test phase with students, the laboratory was also available to interested employees from trade and industrial companies.

Network for innovative and sustainable companies

The results of the student teams and new projects from regional companies were presented at regular "H2-meetups". The events also offered an in-depth insight into the hydrogen laboratories and the current initiatives of the research institutions.

Promotion of hydrogen products and applications

To enable companies and research institutions to develop the network's innovative ideas into prototypes for sustainable products as quickly as possible, the Hannover Region supported individual company projects and cooperation projects with grant funding until the end of 2024.

The innovation consultants at the Economic and Employment Promotion Department continue to support interested companies in acquiring funding from the federal government or the state of Lower Saxony.