PoWerD– Atlas of Suitable Sites for Power-to-Hydrogen Plant in Germany

The »PoWerD« project is driving forward the expansion of power-to-hydrogen (PtH2) plants. A consortium of research institutions, universities and industry will provide a freely accessible online atlas of potentially suitable sites for power-to-hydrogen plants from 2024. This is intended to support companies in their search for sites for electrolysers and provide hydrogen plant project developers with a simple planning tool.

The appropriate location is of central importance for the development of power-to-hydrogen plants, as local conditions have a strong impact on their economic and ecological potential. For example, the availability of low-cost green electricity, the customer structure for the purchase of the hydrogen produced, or the usability of additional by-products generated during hydrogen production are important decision-making criteria.

In PoWerD, the local conditions are examined with regard to the optimized selection of sites for electrolyzers, taking into account various aspects such as:

• the use of renewable energy potentials in Germany
• potential consumers of hydrogen
• current and future hydrogen infrastructure
• easing the load on the power grid
• the use of by-products (heat and oxygen)

By enabling targeted and optimized site selection, the project thus makes a significant contribution to improving the economic efficiency of power-to-hydrogen plants.

The overarching goal of the project is the nationally comprehensive visualization of practical power-to-hydrogen sites. The atlas is to contain representations in the form of maps (Webatlas)
from which the potential for the construction of power-to-hydrogen plants in different scenarios and business models can be ascertained. These maps will be freely accessible on the internet and can subsequently be used by companies (e.g., future power-to-hydrogen plant operators and plant operators and installers) to identify suitable plant locations.