Climate change is a major challenge for all branches and thus also for the buildings sector. Assets need to become more energy-efficient while at the same time being safe and secure. The transformation towards smart buildings will benefit from higher productivity, enhanced occupant well-being, and greater sustainability. One of the solutions when it comes to a sustainable energy transition in buildings is the usage of hydrogen. Henning Sandfort, CEO Building Products at Siemens Smart Infrastructure explains why heating systems need an upgrade and why using hydrogen is of great potential.
The increasing importance of using renewable energy
Buildings are responsible for 42 percent of global CO2 consumption. This figure illustrates how urgently this industry needs to become more sustainable and energy efficient. To face this challenge, the evolving political landscape is introducing directives, such as the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the US Inflation Reduction Act. These regulations are actively encouraging the construction of smarter and more sustainable buildings, in addition to upgrading existing ones. There is no doubt that we humans are accountable for climate change and the resulting increase of the sea level and environmental disasters: Burning fossil fuels for industry, mobility as well as for heating buildings, too much CO2 has been produced. To significantly reduce emissions – and to decrease global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as set by the Paris Climate Agreement – renewable energy is needed. At the same time, we must reduce the total amount of energy consumption. Connecting various sectors, hydrogen is discussed as a possible solution for the energy transition as it can be used as a CO2-neutral energy source, storage and supply medium – especially for the heating of buildings.
Today’s heating systems
Heat pumps, which are operated up to three-quarters by ambient heat and up to one-quarter by electricity, are used in buildings the most. However, 60 percent of all heating equipment across Europe is no longer up to date. Whilst energy could be saved up to 30 percent by replacing these outdated heating systems with gas condensing boilers equipped with advanced control technology. To transform those into future-proof systems will not only take many more years but can also be hard to achieve – especially in existing buildings. What’s more, is that power grids need to be scaled up to make renewable electricity comprehensively available in buildings.
Energy storage: Hydrogen as hot contender
Energy storage is a major challenge within this topic, that needs to be addressed: While wind and solar power is increasingly used to generate electricity, balancing the power grids between consumption and production is becoming tricky. And this is where the production of hydrogen comes into play.
Existing gas networks are already able to include a certain amount of hydrogen. Thus, as a mixture with natural gas it can be used in heating systems – a ten percent share of hydrogen in natural gas is not a problem for building operators with regard to a continuous system operation according to various in-depth studies. A major part of equipment is even able to incorporate 20 percent. The result? Excess electricity can be effectively harnessed in an environmentally sustainable manner through the utilization of electrolysis systems, which facilitate the separation of water into oxygen and hydrogen. The resulting hydrogen can be seamlessly integrated into the existing gas infrastructure for further use. One pioneer example of the production of green hydrogen is a plant in Wunsiedel, Germany. With a capacity of 6 MW, it is one of the largest of its kind.
To build a climate-neutral future, the German industry association DVGW states, that the hydrogen proportion in gas grids needs to increase to 100 percent. However, before achieving this, we need fundamental changes in standards as well as advanced technological solutions to convert all gas-consuming appliances.
Outlook
To face climate change and the energy crisis in the heating segment of the buildings sector, we need solutions open to all technologies in use. Hydrogen can be considered as an essential answer as it connects various sectors, and can be used for energy storage as well as carrier to heat buildings. Although, in the short-term it won’t be available on large-scale, the gas heating equipment industry needs to adapt its technologies for the use of hydrogen to stay future-proof in the long run. The use of green hydrogen for heating can be considered as highly promising in the buildings sector as it can be used in existing infrastructures. Hydrogen-ready gas consumption equipment is the basis. What is certain: The use of hydrogen to heat buildings is one option to balance power grids due to its ability to handle changing mixing proportions. Besides, it enables a more and more ecological use of existing gas consuming equipment.
