Türkiye's First Hydrogen Village "HyVillage"

Turkey's First Hydrogen Village "HyVillage" The hydrogen village project aims to blend natural gas with hydrogen at specific ratios and supply the mixed gas to residential units, a process test laboratory, and a central heating system test laboratory. GAZBİR-GAZMER Project and International Relations Manager Mehmet Şerif Sarıkaya stated that "HyVillage (Hydrogen Village)," which will be Turkey's first hydrogen field application, will be implemented following approval processes, and described it as a strategic step in providing technical and regulatory guidance for Turkey's hydrogen strategy and shaping the future of hydrogen initiatives. Emphasizing the importance of the "HyVillage" project in providing technical and regulatory direction for Turkey's hydrogen strategy and steering future hydrogen work, Sarıkaya stated that the project aims to blend natural gas with hydrogen at specific ratios and supply the mixed gas to residential units, a process test laboratory, and a central heating system test laboratory. Sarıkaya noted that the area where residential buildings and structures will be established will be designed as a hydrogen production and blending station for use in surrounding neighborhoods following project completion, and continued as follows: "In this way, we aim to ensure project sustainability. The data obtained from the project will be used to prepare regulations, cost, and technical reports. Through this work, integrated gas and electricity network modeling studies will also be conducted."

"Successful results achieved in hydrogen blending with natural gas"

Emphasizing that within the scope of hydrogen injection into natural gas networks, two projects have been completed and one is ongoing, Sarıkaya stated: "At the GAZBİR-GAZMER Clean Energy Technologies Center, hydrogen was blended proportionally at average rates of 5-10-15-20% with natural gas at 95-90-85-80% for testing purposes, combustion tests were performed, and successful results were obtained following tests exceeding 500 hours." According to the results of the natural gas system hydrogen blending project, Sarıkaya said that hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas in distribution networks at a maximum of 20% by volume (equivalent to 6% natural gas) without requiring significant changes to current natural gas internal installations and burner devices. Emphasizing that another objective of this project is to determine the maximum hydrogen usage rate in existing natural gas distribution systems, Sarıkaya stated: "Within this scope, it has been concluded that hydrogen can be used at up to 20% in Turkey's existing natural gas distribution systems without requiring any modifications. For 100% hydrogen use in residential units, we would need modifications to certain household appliances such as combination boilers, meters, and stoves, as well as to the infrastructure."

Industrial hydrogen R&D project to be completed in 2024

Sarıkaya explained that R&D work on natural gas and hydrogen blend for residential use at the GAZBİR-GAZMER Clean Energy Technologies Center has been successfully completed and provides significant contributions to Turkey's hydrogen ecosystem.

Hydrogen use offers serious advantages

"In a low-carbon energy future, hydrogen offers alternative pathways in utilizing renewable energy sources. Hydrogen use in heavy industry, where carbon emissions are particularly high, offers serious advantages. Reducing emissions from the heavy industry sector and integrating more renewable electricity directly becomes possible with hydrogen. At this point, certain technical transformations are needed for hydrogen use in heavy industry. Within this scope, through our industrial hydrogen use project, we are conducting necessary tests for the use of composite gas obtained by blending hydrogen with natural gas at specific ratios under medium-pressure conditions in gas equipment and industrial burners used in industry. We continue our work to make hydrogen and natural gas blends usable in existing industrial combustion equipment without requiring significant modifications. We plan to complete this R&D project in 2024."   Source