Building on the experience gained with localized distribution networks, it is expected that regional hydrogen supply networks will subsequently be established at selected locations. From today's perspective, by 2050, gaseous fuel supply is expected to include a mix of bio natural gas, methane/hydrogen blends, and pure hydrogen, depending on the region and the gas supply available there.
New products and solutions for the planning, construction and operation of energy-optimized neighborhoods will be developed in this context by the end of 2024. One of the pilot projects being developed, in which a local infrastructure for pure hydrogen is being created, is the first real laboratory of the energy transition, "SmartQuart," funded by the German Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi). At three locations in Germany - Essen, Bedburg and Kaisersesch - so-called smart quarters will be created in the coming years that will supply themselves with energy in an almost completely climate-neutral manner. The central element here is the intelligent networking of the various energy systems within the project, this is being carried out by a consortium and includes the participation of the Viessmann Group and eight other partners under the leadership of the energy company E.ON.