From coal to gas and ultimately hydrogen – the bridge to the future of energy

Electricity generated from solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants is subject to weather-related and seasonal fluctuations. The electricity yield from renewable energy sources is therefore not always sufficient to meet demand. However, even when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, there are times when the demand for electricity is so high that power plants have to produce the required amount of electricity at the touch of a button, so to speak. Most of these conventional power plants still generate their electricity using coal. This is anything but a sustainable solution, given the ambitious climate targets that have been set.

Gas power plants come into play as an alternative to coal. They ensure a flexible and efficient supply of power and heat, while guaranteeing security of supply if renewable energies are not available in sufficient quantities. In addition, gas is already the most climate-friendly conventional energy source and makes an instant contribution to climate change mitigation.

EnBW’s coal power plants – in Altbach/Deizisau, Stuttgart-Münster and Heilbronn – will therefore be converted over the coming years and are set to be initially operated using natural gas instead of coal. This means that the entire mid-Neckar region will be coal-free by 2027. There are plans to construct combined heat and power plants at each location. The main advantage of this so-called “fuel switch” is that carbon emissions are immediately reduced by a considerable degree, along with emissions of other harmful substances – heavy metals such as mercury are eliminated entirely and nitrogen oxides are reduced. Electricity generation and district heating production using natural gas can also be carried out “at the touch of a button” like before, making it just as flexible as it is reliable.

The operation of all plants using natural gas is only an intermediate step. By creating an admixture with hydrogen or green gases, the plants’ carbon footprint can be improved step by step. The long-term goal is to switch to one hundred percent combustion of climate-neutral green gases, such as green hydrogen, from the mid-2030s. This step has already been factored into the planning and realization of the CCGT power plants.

Greater expansion of renewable energy capacity is needed to produce green hydrogen. However, it will also take time to build up the hydrogen infrastructure. The fuel switch away from coal toward natural gas gives EnBW the time it needs and is a big step toward a future of climate-neutral energy.