Hydrogen

The fight against global warming and climate change is a challenge that affects everyone – in all countries and industries. Numerous nations have already committed to reducing energy consumption and have agreed to ambitious goals to minimize carbon emission-related effects. However, the transition from conventional to renewable energy such as wind and solar power is just a first step in achieving these goals.

Why is hydrogen important?

Hydrogen as an energy carrier offers the extensive potential to support decarbonization efforts. Hydrogen can be used as a storage medium to further advance the integration and use of energy from renewable sources and as a sector coupling technology to decarbonize all energy sectors. This has been recognized by governments and industry leaders worldwide and in countries like Germany, France, Italy, and the UK as well as China, Japan and Korea. In principle, all industry-driven countries have not only understood the role of hydrogen to reach climate goals but have started to support the introduction of hydrogen in projects reaching from the generation of green hydrogen over transportation to hydrogen usage in widespread applications.

Hydrogen production from green energy as the central point for the future hydrogen value chain

The benefits of green hydrogen as an energy carrier

There are several ways to produce hydrogen, but the one being discussed most is the so-called “green hydrogen” by electrolysis from renewable energy sources, as the production process is carbon-free. It can be used flexibly to satisfy the energy demand in several sectors and helps to reduce the specific carbon emissions of these.

The benefits can be summarized as follows:

• Use of peak power produced from renewable energy sources to enable the storage and distribution of green energy.
• Avoid high investments in new distribution capacities by using existing infrastructure (e.g. natural gas pipelines) for transmission and distribution.
• Existing availability of large storage capacities, which are necessary to decouple fluctuating energy generation from energy consumption.
• Reduction of carbon emissions in several sectors, like transportation, industrial production or buildings, which are complicated to decarbonize with other technologies.

Why choose TÜV SÜD for hydrogen energy solutions?

At TÜV SÜD, we are committed to applying our vast expertise and experience with hydrogen and related technologies to support the development of safe, secure and reliable hydrogen energy solutions.

TÜV SÜD has experience over the whole value chain of hydrogen and life cycle of hydrogen technologies. Our experts have accompanied numerous successful and innovative projects over the past decades. Our commitment to hydrogen is showcased by our participation in these well-recognized lighthouse projects:

• Mobility application (HydRail): testing, inspection and certification during the approval process of the world’s first hydrogen powered regional fuel cell train Coradia iLint from Alstom.
• Generation and transport: safety assessments and development of a guideline for hydrogen safety of electrolyser and Power2Gas facilities as project lead within the HYPOS-research project.
• Carbon footprint: development of a certification scheme to make the origin of green hydrogen reliable within the EU-project CertifHy.

TÜV SÜD’s solutions for hydrogen technology

The field of hydrogen technology can be divided into three segments: 

• Hydrogen production.
• Hydrogen storage, transportation and distribution.
• Hydrogen usage and consumption e.g. in fuel cells for trucks or trains.

The hydrogen value chain – from green energy generation to hydrogen usage and consumption in several segments

At TÜV SÜD, we support our customers with services in all three segments and provide a holistic approach to make sure that hydrogen projects are safe, efficient and economical. 

Find out more about our hydrogen-related services below. 

Production of hydrogen

Electrolyzers and Power2Gas facilities use renewable energy from sources such as wind turbines and solar panels to create hydrogen or, in a separate step, even methane, known as the important molecule within natural gas.
 
TÜV SÜD offers a comprehensive service portfolio for investors, manufacturers and operators of such facilities. Our services include, but are not limited to, project due diligence and risk assessment to support investment decisions, Notified Body certification as well as initial and regular inspections during operation as an Authorized Inspection Body to ensure regulatory compliance or assessment of safety concepts to meet HSE requirements. 

Find out more about the hydrogen production process and how we can support you here.

Transmission, distribution and storage of hydrogen

Under standard conditions, hydrogen is a combustible, colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, non-corrosive, non-metallic, two-atomic gas. It can be stored and distributed in a similar way to other gaseous fuels (e.g. natural gas), typically by being compressed or even liquefied.

Existing natural gas infrastructure for transmission and distribution can be used in principle for hydrogen too, but several restrictions apply, and specific measures have to be taken. 

Common hydrogen storage and transmission technologies include pipelines, tanks and trucks. TÜV SÜD offers operators and manufacturers of such equipment extensive support. Our services include flow metering, material combability testing, pipeline integrity testing and infrastructure safety concepts. 

Find out more about hydrogen storage, transmission and distribution as well as our related services here.

Consumption or usage of hydrogen

Hydrogen can be used in different segments and helps to reduce carbon emissions in mobility applications, industrial production processes and residential applications for heating and power supply. This flexibility makes hydrogen the ideal fuel for climate-neutral technologies.

In addition, hydrogen can be used as industrial feedstock to power fuel cells or within turbines and motors. 

At TÜV SÜD, we provide services for all segments in which hydrogen is used, like fuel cell certification, car/rail homologation and fueling stations testing. 

With TÜV SÜD’s interdisciplinary teams of experts, we provide individual services for all segments in which hydrogen is used. This covers services for manufacturers interested in testing and certification of fuel cells for vehicle homologation, HydRails or stationary application with CE marking. This also includes services to realize safe hydrogen installations like Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS) with accredited inspectors, for example, health and safety workers or an environmental protection base on local national requirements. 

Find out more about the areas of application for hydrogen and our related services here.