HYPIPE

Project description

Hydrogen is suitable for seasonal energy storage and as a precaution for the so-called dark doldrums (ten days with very low solar radiation and very low wind availability at low temperatures). At the same time, the high demand for heating in existing buildings, which are slow to refurbish, represents a major challenge. Open questions with regard to the use of hydrogen arise, among other things, in the area of transportation and distribution. As it is a gas that has already been used in gas networks for energy supply in the past, the use of the existing natural gas network is seen as possibly sensible. The natural gas grid has enormous existing energy storage capacities that could solve the seasonal storage problem. However, a number of questions arise, including the suitability of end devices and domestic installations and the distribution network itself. The project focuses on investigating the suitability of the existing natural gas network for transporting hydrogen at different gas pressures and blending rates, as well as the suitability of domestic installations. The existing natural gas network in Schleswig-Holstein will be examined as an example. The study promises transferable, internationally significant findings.