Nearly EUR 5 million for energy transition research at HAW Hamburg

The X-Energy initiative is one of ten supported by the BMBF's "Strong Universities of Applied Sciences - Impetus for the Region "(FH-Impuls)" programme. Following a successful start-up phase, BMBF selected X-Energy, the VDI Technology Center as managing agency and a panel of experts for the intense phase. The partners are also injecting cash of around EUR 700,000 to enhance HAW's profile in the wind energy, system integration and storage sectors in future. 

The development phase of FH-Impuls, underway since 2017, boosts research at the university in the long-term through X-Energy by establishing and expanding partnerships, skills and research structures. During the intense phase, networking will be promoted to ease co-operation. Processes in innovation and project management will be improved while marketing and specialist publications will be ramped up. The strategic partnership with over 25 partners in industry, science and politics will be expanded to ten new research projects.

Certain projects are to advance from the start-up phase while others will focus on new technologies and research topics. As part of the HyMeXellence project, for instance, HAW and Gasnetz Hamburg will conduct research into sector coupling at the interface of wind energy and gas distribution networks. The project focuses mainly on adapting gas composition for adding hydrogen to the gas network. The READiTM-PtL project will be followed up by KLIMAKRAFT to improve processes for converting used fats into fuels and to scale up to the next level. 

"X-Energy serves as a catalyst of innovation for renewable energies in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region," said Prof. Dr. Werner Beba, Director of CC4E. "Our focus on sector coupling applications targets the main solutions for the energy and climate transition. The German government's current economic stimulus for research into sector coupling, strengthens us on this course. We will strengthen our leading position in applied research by providing more funds during the intense phase and thereby establishing long-term structures at HAW Hamburg to drive the energy transitiion."

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