Conversion kit for existing gas engines
By then, the demand for hydrogen engines will also increase. They are not yet in demand for the power supply, as they are hardly profitable. This is because green hydrogen is not only expensive, but also difficult to obtain - as the duisport example shows. However, hydrogen projects are on the rise worldwide.
Andrea Prospero and his colleagues are therefore also developing a conversion kit for existing mtu gas engines. "With this conversion kit, customers can turn their gas engine into a hydrogen engine, for example as part of a major overhaul, and thus generate CO2-neutral energy," says Prospero. TÜV Süd has already certified the H2 readiness of mtu Series 4000 FNER/ FV gas engines .
Hydrogen engines as a central pillar of the energy transition
But the planning continues. In a consortium with five companies and research institutes, Rolls-Royce engineers are developing the necessary technologies for new, even more powerful and efficient hydrogen combustion engines. As part of the publicly funded Phoenix (Performance Hydrogen Engine for Industrial and X) project, a hydrogen engine is to generate the same electrical and thermal energy as currently available natural gas CHP units in the larger output range (up to 2.5 MW) for the first time.
"We are convinced that hydrogen combustion engines will become a central pillar of the energy transition," says Tobias Ostermaier, who heads the decentralized energy systems business at Rolls-Royce. "As soon as the availability of green hydrogen is ensured on a large scale, the technology of highly efficient hydrogen block-type thermal power stations promoted in the Phoenix project will be ready for use," he says.
CO2-neutral self-sufficiency as a competitive advantage
Alexander Garber is also convinced by his project and is proud to be a pioneer. He even goes so far as to say that the energy system, which is already self-sufficient today and will be CO2-neutral in the future, is a major competitive advantage for the Port of Duisburg. "Unfortunately, we live in times in which a self-sufficient energy supply is an important argument for critical infrastructure," he says. The fact that this self-sufficiency will soon also be CO2-neutral is another plus point - and a unique selling point for a port that until recently was all about coal.