North German living labs

The Northern German regulatory sandbox, the so-called Reallabor, is all about testing the holistic transformation of the energy system in order to contribute to rapid decarbonisation of all consumption sectors. Distributed across five geographical "hubs" in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, large-scale concepts for integrated sector coupling are being developed, with a focus on hydrogen (and its material use in the basic materials processing industry and mobility applications) and energy-efficient neighbourhood solutions in the heating sector.

Among other things, the transition of the gas distribution network to hydrogen is being researched. But also the use of waste heat from waste incineration and industrial plants in the district heating network is part of the Norddeutsches Reallabor in which partners from industry, science and politics are involved. Together they represent the entire energy value chain.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is funding the Norddeutsches Reallabor with more than 52 million euros over a period of five years and assumes that around 350,000-500,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions can be saved per year.