2006:

Opening the Hydrogen Center in Lohhof Near Munich

In the 1950’s Linde developed a process for the liquefaction and rectifactory separation of hydrogen. Liquid hydrogen is needed especially in research. But it also finds applications in aerospace technology. In 1964 Linde received an order to produce liquid hydrogen for newly developed high-energy rocket propellants.

The first public hydrogen filling station world-wide was opened in 1999 at Munich Airport. The filling station was a joint project of 13 firms, the TÜV Süddeutschland and the Bavarian Transportation Ministry. Linde participated in the development of a tanking robot to fill the tanks of vehicles fully automatically. Linde Gas supplies the liquid hydrogen.

Hydrogen station at the Munich airport, Germany

Hydrogen is an environment-friendly fuel, as its only exhaust product during travel is simply water steam. Research and development in the area of hydrogen filling station technology are thus a contribution to climate protection. Linde is a partner in the “Clean Energy Partnership”, a joint undertaking of international corporations, whose goal it is to make the energy supplier hydrogen available and develop it to a degree that it can be used on an everyday basis.

In October of 2006 a further hydrogen filling station was dedicated in Lohhof near Munich in the presence of German Federal Transportation Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee. It supplies a test fleet of hydrogen-driven cars and buses with both liquid hydrogen as well as with compressed gaseous hydrogen. The filling station is integrated into a hydrogen center, which also serves as a technology test center, a training site and a presentation platform. Linde received an award for this innovative hydrogen center in February of 2007 from the site initiative “Germany – Land of Ideas”.

Hydrogen station in Lohhof near Munich

The newest hydrogen filling station with Linde tanking technology was opened in 2007 in Munich. The liquid hydrogen supplied by Linde Gas was stored for the first time in a underground tank and can be used to fill up both cars and buses. Thanks to the underground storage tank, the hydrogen filling station looks no different than a conventional filling station. The tanking operation is also as quick and easy as in a conventional filling station.