State Secretary Dr. Denis Alt hands over funding decision for the development of advanced hydrogen storage technology to the Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials

Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials GmbH (IVW)

Dr. Denis Alt, State Secretary in the Ministry of Science and Health, today handed over a funding decision amounting to 869,706 euros to the Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials GmbH (IVW) in Kaiserslautern. In the new state research project “HydroBear”, the institute will use these funds to develop a new type of pressure storage system for hydrogen over the next three years. The project aims to develop climate-neutral drive systems. By switching from conventional fuel to sustainably produced hydrogen, emissions of the climate-damaging greenhouse gas CO2 can be avoided. New construction methods are to be developed at IVW for a particularly lightweight storage system using fiber composites. These tanks can then not only store gaseous hydrogen under high pressure, but can also be used to transfer loads such as those that occur in means of transportation during operation. This is not only interesting for commercial vehicles, but also for small or medium-sized aircraft.
In the future, hydrogen could also be stored in wings, with the tank replacing load-bearing structures (e.g. spars). This technology is already being targeted by the associated project partner Lange Aviation GmbH, the Rhineland-Palatinate-based aircraft manufacturer that is supporting the research project.
Denis Alt was delighted with IVW’s strong commitment to hydrogen technologies: “We need new and better technologies for the storage and transportation of hydrogen. By contributing its significant expertise in the field of composite materials, IVW is helping to implement key UN sustainability goals. At the same time, the institute is once again demonstrating how important its work is for the implementation of the state’s hydrogen strategy and for Rhineland-Palatinate as a location for science and industry.”
At the handover, Professor Breuer said: “We are very pleased about this state funding, because we still have research and development work to do before we reach our goal of climate neutrality. By using suitable materials and manufacturing processes, we must not only ensure that the pressure vessels of the future remain sufficiently tight and strong throughout their entire life, even under cyclical loads, but that they can also be produced cost-effectively and reused as often as possible.

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