Premiere at 1,523 meters: This hut generates its electricity from hydrogen

The construction work on the “lighthouse project” was completed in September, and after a change of tenant, the hut started winter operations on December 5th. In recent months, the Sonnschienhütte has been more of a construction site than a place of peace, as work on renewing and completely insulating the facade and roof as well as all windows and doors continued while the hut was in operation. Hikers were able to follow how construction progressed throughout the summer. What was particularly noticeable was the external work, rather than the new heart of the hut: the hydrogen system.

• Huts and hiking trails in Upper Austria: nachrichten.at/huetten

Electricity generation is CO2-free

The concept includes a photovoltaic system, whose panels were installed on several buildings in the smelting complex, as well as a battery storage system and a powerful hydrogen system including a fuel cell. It is planned that the excess solar energy generated by the PV system will be used to produce green hydrogen during the day using electrolysis. Later, when there is not enough solar radiation to generate electricity, this can be converted back into electrical energy using a fuel cell and fed into the home network. This should make a diesel or rapeseed oil generator unnecessary. According to the Alpine Association, electricity generation is completely CO2-free.

Promising calculations

The system at the Sonnschienhütte has already been put into operation and has been running since mid-October, but without much consumption as the new tenants are just moving in. Only final work is needed around the hut, said Richard Goldeband from the Alpine Club. All operating data will now be collected in the first year, “then we’ll see whether the system proves itself,” says the smelting officer confidently. In any case, the results so far are promising: “The simulation calculations suggest that we really won’t need diesel or rapeseed oil to generate energy – even in winter,” says Goldeband.

One million euros for renovation

The complete renovation cost around one million euros, of which around 150,000 euros went to the hydrogen system. At the annual general meeting of the Austrian Alpine Club on October 21st in Rankweil, the project won first place in the “Implemented Projects” category of the most climate-friendly section. The construction was also funded by the federal and EU governments through the 2014-2020 Rural Development Program. The PV system generates 40 kWp on four differently oriented roof surfaces in order to make optimal use of the solar radiation throughout the day.

The battery pack has 80 kWh, the hydrogen storage 1,500 kWh, the two electrolyzers each have an output of 2.5 kW, and the fuel cell has an output of 4 kW. The specified kWp correspond to the maximum possible output of the system. The hut itself is designed for almost 100 people in the guest room and has sleeping options in shared rooms as well as in a mattress warehouse in the attic for a total of around 60 people.

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