In addition to the districts of Reutlingen, Heidenheim and Tübingen, the H2-Wandel model region includes the Alb-Donau district, the Ostalb district and the cities of Schwäbisch Gmünd and Ulm (in the south of Germany). The goal of H2-Wandel is to test a hydrogen economy in both rural and urban areas. H2-Wandel is divided into four lighthouse projects that cover the entire value chain from generation to use in industry, transportation and neighborhood solutions. Cities, municipalities, project partners from industry and science implement the specific model projects. These include the construction of electrolysers for hydrogen production, filling station infrastructure and distribution systems. The project will be funded from 2022 to 2027.
With H2-Wandel, among other things, a water electrolysis plant at the ZSW site in Lise-Meitner-Straße in Ulm will be established and operated by Stadtwerke Ulm. The green electricity for the electrolysis is supplied by the Böfinger Halde Danube power plant. The fuel cell test field of the ZSW has a high demand for pure hydrogen and will be one of the main consumers of the hydrogen, thus testing high-performance fuel cells for industry in the future in a climate-neutral manner.
The ZSW with its hydrogen quality laboratory HyLaB - one of only three independent laboratories worldwide that can detect impurities in hydrogen down to the ppb range - has been commissioned for monitoring hydrogen quality produced by the H2-Wandel partners and is receiving 470,095 euros in funding from the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management, of which 188,038 euros are from ERDF funds.