“For the energy transition to succeed, conurbations and major cities like Berlin need a heating transition above all”

Interview with Marko Voß, Head of system development Berlin at Vattenfall

What is your vision for the energy system of the future? What role will hydrogen play in this?

Germany’s energy system will fundamentally change in the next few years. In order for the energy transition to succeed, urban centres and large cities like Berlin need a heating transition in particular.

We already supply the equivalent of around 1.4 million residential units via our Berlin district heating network – and this figure will continue to rise in future.

In order to ensure that the capital is supplied with climate-neutral heat, we need to optimise the use of available heat sources and technologies and rely on the use of hydrogen in our plants.

What contribution does your project make?

The conversion of Berlin’s generation plants to the use of fossil-free hydrogen is essential for the heating transition and thus for achieving Berlin’s climate targets.

What does it take to make the project a success?

In order for us to realise our decarbonisation roadmap, the ramp-up of the hydrogen economy is of central importance. We see three fundamental fields of action for this:

• The integrated planning of the hydrogen infrastructure, taking into account our combined heat and power (CHP) locations. The Berlin hydrogen start-up network developed by NBB, GASAG and ONTRAS is a key component of this.
• The promotion of hydrogen production in Germany and abroad through tenders by the BNetzA modelled on the electricity tenders for wind and PV in the EEG.
• The timely extension and adaptation of the KWKG to include hydrogen.

These three steps must be combined so that the necessary planning security is provided and Berlin’s climate targets as a model capital can be achieved.

Contact of project planning:

Marko Voß

Head of system development Berlin

Vattenfall

kontakt-waerme@vattenfall.de 

In order to achieve the goal of decarbonising the energy sector, a secure and cost-efficient supply of fossil-free hydrogen is of central importance. This is because energy generated from renewable sources can be both stored and transported as hydrogen. This is particularly important in terms of security of supply during the so-called cold dark doldrums.
As Berlin’s largest district heating supplier, Vattenfall is a key driver of decarbonisation. Thanks to our high demand for climate-neutral hydrogen, we are also creating the off-take potential for the rapid ramp-up of the hydrogen economy in the capital.

Further information on hydrogen for Berlin’s heating transition: www.wärmewende.berlin.de