Wilo is hydrogen ready!

Dortmund. As the winner of the German Sustainability Award 2021 in the “Climate” category, Wilo is fully aware of its corporate responsibility and has reaffirmed its commitment to climate protection and sustainability. By providing products that counteract climate change and energy shortages, Wilo is promoting future-oriented, environmentally friendly solutions like the production of Hydrogen. Wilo pumps and systems will play an important role to make the production of green hydrogen even more efficient in the future.

Hydrogen offers our world a new and more efficient fuel source and is fundamental for achieving the climate protection goals agreed in Paris until 2050. Discovered in 1766 by Henry Cavendish, hydrogen is the most abundant chemical structure in the universe, while producing no CO2 when combusted, only water and heat. It can be used to decarbonize electricity, heating, transport, and industry. “The climate protection goals of the Federal Republic of Germany are quite ambitious. To reach these goals, we will depend on the importance of green hydrogen, e.g. coming from Latin America. To develop the infrastructure for the production of green hydrogen in Latin America, there’s a big potential for German technologies and know how transfer”, says Svenja Ahlburg, Group Director Latin America & Managing Director WILO Mexico Bombas Centrifugas.

Hydrogen in Latin America

Latin America is a region with huge potential for the creation of green hydrogen. Governments and the private sector are already recognizing its importance and are heavily investing in it. In March 2021, Brazil’s government announced its intention to make green hydrogen one of the key elements in the country's energy production. “The potential in Latin America for green hydrogen production is very large. The world’s largest green hydrogen plant is planned to be built in Brazil, a $5.4bn project that will produce more than 600 million kilograms of green hydrogen annually. The operation should start in December 2022”, says state governor Camilo Santana. Chile can already be seen as a pioneer in the hydrogen production in Latin America. By 2030, the country aims to become the largest exporter and price leader in production of hydrogen, especially driven by the production from wind and solar energy. Right now, 11 countries (Argentina, Colombia among others) in the region have either published or are currently preparing national hydrogen strategies and roadmaps, and a pipeline of more than 25 low-carbon hydrogen projects are at the early stages of development.

Wilo pumps & systems in the value chain of hydrogen

Wilo can become a global player in the creation and storage, distribution, and utilization of hydrogen. “Hydrogen technologies and systems were defined as a value chain of strategic interest. This makes Wilo solutions system-relevant here as well. In the future, our products and systems will make an essential contribution to the creation, distribution, and utilization of green and blue hydrogen,” says Oliver Hermes President & CEO of the Wilo Group.

Wilo already has numerous products and solutions in its portfolio that can be used in the first stage, i.e., generation and storage, from reverse-running pumps for driving hydropower generators and pumps for cooling circuits in wind turbines through to rotor drive actuators for these turbines. And as hydrogen makes its way to the end user, there are further wide-ranging possibilities for using Wilo’s products, solutions, and services, including in areas such as fuel cell technology. It is estimated that until 2050 hydrogen will have a Market potential of around
2,100 billion euros with the potential to create around 30 million jobs worldwide.