Hydrogen Technology (Prof. König)
Hydrogen technology is a key component in achieving the energy transition, particularly for storing renewable energy, efficiently converting it into electricity for stationary or mobile applications, and thereby decarbonizing all sectors of the economy.
In Germany alone, hydrogen demand is estimated to reach 95–130 TWh by 2030 (https://www.bmftr.bund.de/DE/Research/EnergyClimateAndSustainability/Energy/HydrogenAndSyntheticFuels/hydrogenandsyntheticfuels.html, accessed on February 18, 2026).
Currently, hydrogen is primarily produced from natural gas, a process in which the carbon bound to methane is released as carbon dioxide. For 2045, Germany’s required capacity for hydrogen production is projected to be 91 GW (J. Brandes et al., “Pathways to a Climate-Neutral Energy System: Update November 2021,” Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems). Hydrogen technology is therefore a market with enormous future potential; however, it is still in an early stage of development.
Hochschule Offenburg has set itself the goal of changing this: It is conducting intensive research and development on hydrogen technologies and thus aims to make its own contribution to the energy transition. In the medium term, however, this can only succeed if technically competent and dedicated professors, academic staff, and students devote themselves to this topic and pool their efforts through collaborations. Furthermore, it is a priority to give companies—especially those in the region—the opportunity to benefit from hydrogen technology. The Ortenau region, which is well on its way to establishing itself as a sustainability hub in Baden-Württemberg, offers great potential in this regard.
Hydrogen is therefore one of the central areas of focus for the research groups at INES, which are addressing the various aspects of this energy source of the near future—from production and distribution to storage and application.
Hydrogen Production by Electrolysis (Prof. Hochberg)
Producing hydrogen through electrolysis is currently much more expensive than producing it from methane (natural gas) due to high electricity costs. Hydrogen production is therefore only feasible during periods of the lowest electricity costs, which occur for only a few thousand hours a year. Capital costs are therefore of great importance. At Hochschule Offenburg, researchers are collaborating with industrial companies to develop an alkaline electrolyzer characterized by particularly low investment costs. These cost reductions are achieved through innovations in the fields of forming technology and materials science, fluid dynamics, and process engineering.
Modeling of Electrolysis and Fuel Cells (Prof. Bessler)
The operating behavior of electrolysers and fuel cells is characterized by complex reactive flows: gases (hydrogen and oxygen/air) must be supplied from the outside or removed in multiphase flows, and electrochemical reactions take place at interfaces. Reaction, transport, temperature, and operational requirements are nonlinearly coupled. To understand and optimize these complex processes, Hochschule Offenburg employs modeling and simulation methods that can describe internal processes and states that are inaccessible to experimentation.
Hydrogen Economy and System Integration (Prof. Hartmann, Prof. Schmidt)
As part of the Paris Agreement and the long-term strategy of the European Green Deal, Germany is aiming for climate neutrality by 2045. This goal requires a massive expansion of hydrogen technologies. At Hochschule Offenburg, techno-economic expansion scenarios are being developed with a particular focus on hydrogen and negative-emission technologies. These scenarios are based on a fundamental energy market model for Germany that optimizes generation and grid capacities within the German energy system. It enables high spatial and temporal resolution (8,760 hours per year with 317 nodes representing various regions in Germany). This allows for research across various sectors, including households, industry, and transportation.
In addition, we are investigating the role of hydrogen technologies in the power grid. The focus is on grid-friendly operating strategies for electrolysers, their contribution to the integration of renewable energy, and their impact on grid stability, flexibility, and resilience at the distribution and transmission grid levels.
Hydrogen Applications, Fuel Cell Systems (Prof. König)
The sustainable production of hydrogen enables its effective use in a variety of applications, such as on-demand, efficient power generation in stationary fuel cell systems and combined heat and power plants, or in mobile applications (trucks, passenger cars). Hochschule Offenburg is actively involved in researching electric powertrain topologies (variants of the traction power system) using batteries and fuel cells. In the university’s existing hydrogen and fuel cell laboratory, fuel cell systems can be tested and scaled for this purpose.
Laboratory Equipment
The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Laboratory is part of the integrated research laboratory at the University’s Regional Innovation Center and is equipped with the necessary utility connections, ventilation, gas detection system, and safety technology required for the operation of hydrogen systems.
In the EMC2 research group’s lab, fuel cell systems can be tested and operated at various scales. In addition to fuel cell stacks and fuel cell systems for mobile and portable applications, the research group, in cooperation with the Powertrain Lab, investigates electric powertrain topologies (variants of the traction power system) using batteries and fuel cells. One goal of the research is to integrate these systems with power electronics and electric machines to ensure efficient overall operation.
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