When it comes to the energy transition, the energy sector often fails to recognize that hydrogen can play a central role in renewable energy systems. Hydrogen connects electricity, heat, mobility, and industry, and thus supports the goal of achieving a 100% renewable energy future. GP Joule, a system provider for integrated energy solutions, relies on an integrated energy system with battery storage and hydrogen in its projects.
Integrated energy systems mean more local acceptance, more benefits on site, and more renewables, while at the same time relieving the power grid. GP Joule’s so-called Fuhne Project puts this approach into practice and is intended to serve, as the first of its kind, as a blueprint for further projects.
“Using renewable energies means more than just building large solar parks, feeding the generated electricity into the grid, and hoping that capacities are sufficient to refinance the investment. This traditional mindset, where electricity is merely produced, delivered, and then expected to somehow fit into the system, falls short. To truly succeed in the energy transition, we must think much more regionally, focus on local structures, and create connections between energy producers and the consumers living in those regions,” says Johannes Brock, Storage & Hydrogen Promoter at GP Joule, in his presentation at the ees Forum during ees Europe 2025.
When regional solutions are created, the need for massive grid expansion decreases, since less energy has to be transported over long distances. At the same time, this generates more flexibility in the overall system, additional economic benefits for the regions, and greater public acceptance of new renewable energy installations. When local citizens see that they directly benefit from these projects, their willingness to support such changes increases.
Not only is a stronger linkage between energy producers and consumers important, but also a greater integration of individual energy carriers into existing energy systems. The current status of the energy transition shows that many key technologies – such as electrolysis, battery storage, district heating networks, or hydrogen applications – are still only in use to a very limited extent. And that is exactly what must change. “If we truly want to realize the energy transition, we fundamentally need storage. Storage systems are the backbone, without which a fully renewable energy supply cannot work. That’s why we must not get lost in debates over whether batteries or hydrogen are the better storage solution. For us, it’s not about ‘either battery storage or hydrogen,’ but about ‘both-and.’ These technologies are not in competition with one another, but can complement each other in their different practical applications,” emphasizes Johannes Brock.
Today, batteries are primarily used for short-term storage, typically with a capacity of around two hours. However, when electricity from wind-rich winter months needs to be carried over into the summer, batteries reach their limits. That’s where hydrogen comes into play. Hydrogen enables long-term and seasonal storage by converting electricity into a transportable medium. This also makes it possible to supply sectors that cannot be directly electrified, such as heavy industry, shipping, or aviation. By making use of existing infrastructure such as the natural gas grid, the sheer scale at which energy storage can be realized becomes apparent.
GP Joule’s projects demonstrate that this approach works: In northern Germany, near the North Sea, the company operates “eFarm,” one of the world’s first fully green hydrogen projects. “There, we harness the region’s vast wind power capacity by converting the generated electricity into green hydrogen and using it in the mobility sector—for example, for buses in public transport and some hydrogen-powered trucks,” says Johannes Brock. The hydrogen produced already covers a significant base demand today, around half a ton per day. At the same time, the system is being expanded with additional electrolyzers and a battery storage unit of around 50 megawatts to feed wind power flexibly into the grid. For almost five years now, this has created a holistic interplay of renewable generation, storage, and utilization.
The Fuhne project, named after the Fuhne River, has relied on solar and wind power, battery storage with a total capacity of around 100 megawatts, as well as hydrogen production. The rural location provides ample space for renewable installations and is situated close to towns, industry, transport routes, the natural gas grid, and the future hydrogen network. The goal is to generate around 500 megawatts of renewable energy.
Part of the generated energy will be converted into heat and distributed via a district heating network to supply tens of thousands of residents, municipalities, and small industrial enterprises. Another part of the energy will be converted into hydrogen and transported through pipelines for industrial use. “This clearly shows the crucial role of infrastructure: without pipelines, such a project would hardly be feasible. That’s why we closely coordinate with the planning of the future hydrogen network, which will deliver the produced hydrogen to large consumers in eastern Germany,” adds Johannes Brock. The Fuhne Project is the first in which GP Joule is jointly developing battery and hydrogen storage.
Both projects illustrate that batteries and hydrogen are not competitors, but together make it possible to turn the vision of a 100% renewable energy world into reality.