In an industrial area in Garching, just a few minutes’ drive north of Munich, you can already glimpse the future. A row of gray containers and tents house the TÜV SÜD Hydrogen Lab. What appears provisional from the outside is actually the beginning of a major investment in the group's strategic direction. Here, state-of-the-art testing facilities qualify materials for hydrogen compatibility. Market-ready products and components such as valves or sensors are also tested here.
The lab itself has been around since the 1980s, when it was mainly used for testing fuel components and later also cooling media. Today, on the 2,000-square-meter company premises, another change is palpable – next door, there's screwing, hammering, and construction underway.
“The importance of hydrogen is steadily increasing,” says Max Bedynek. As Account Manager for Hydrogen & Fuel Cell at TÜV SÜD, he aims to strategically develop the hydrogen laboratory. “We're observing a clear trend: our testing and certification portfolio for hydrogen is continuously growing and ideally complements our existing testing and certification offerings designed for fossil fuels.” As a carbon-free energy carrier, hydrogen – especially green hydrogen – has great potential for TÜV SÜD on the path to a carbon-neutral future, particularly in terms of storing energy from renewable sources to help achieve climate goals. Hydrogen is thus also a key topic in the company’s vision for the future. The Hydrogen Lab in Garching forms the center of this strategy. “All our testing and research activities start here,” explains Max Bedynek. “In the long term, we're planning international expansion to drive even more innovation.”
With the Hydrogen Lab, the TÜV SÜD hydrogen team can perform product tests and certifications that were previously not offered on the market. Technical components and parts that come into contact with hydrogen must be specially tested for reliability and tightness. For example, so-called hydrogen embrittlement poses a risk to components exposed to high pressure. TÜV SÜD now has a whole range of specially developed certification products. “Manufacturers of hydrogen valves can have their products tested with us and receive targeted component certification,” says Bedynek.
A TÜV SÜD offering always strives to provide a one-stop-shop solution. Bedynek and his team support companies in early development phases, particularly regarding regulatory frameworks and qualified materials. “We support our customers not only in testing their components but also in identifying the most relevant norms and standards,” says Bedynek.
With the Hydrogen Lab in Garching, TÜV SÜD is deliberately focusing on Germany as a location. Here, Bedynek and his team benefit from Europe's early positioning in the hydrogen sector. This knowledge, combined with the services of the Hydrogen Lab, is enormously important – especially against the backdrop of the targeted energy transition. “Interest in hydrogen solutions is growing enormously across industries – whether in the automotive industry, among suppliers, or in the gas network sector,” observes Max Bedynek.
In the European market, the expert has little doubt that hydrogen will be the backbone of the energy system in the future. “The planned European pipeline network clearly shows that hydrogen as an energy carrier of the future will be widely available,” explains Bedynek. “In the future, it will no longer be necessary to produce hydrogen locally or rely on road transport.” For him, the planned infrastructure is a clear commitment to the use of renewable energies.
“One of the central challenges remains that the generation and consumption of renewable energies don't always match temporally and spatially,” adds Bedynek. “Hydrogen can close this very gap and serve as a buffer.”
In the expansion of the laboratory, Bedynek sees a deliberate orientation toward the future. “We're seeing growing demand for testing services, but also for new testing methods – for example, for performance evaluation of fuel cells,” he says. In the future, additional innovative application areas could be integrated into the laboratory. One thing is certain: the team brings not only the necessary expertise but also the pioneering spirit to actively shape the hydrogen sector.
