With the launch of the Hydrogen Integration Platform (HIP), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) expands its infrastructure for hydrogen energy research on Campus North. The platform links facilities and demonstrators along the entire hydrogen value chain, including electrolysis and liquefaction, storage, and transport as well as the use of the final product in the energy system. Under realistic conditions, researchers are investigating how hydrogen technologies can be integrated reliably, flexibly, and efficiently into a future carbon-neutral energy system.
The Hydrogen Integration Platform (HIP) links multiple demonstration facilities for the storage, distribution, and use of hydrogen. On Thursday, June 18, 2026, KIT launched the new research infrastructure on the Energy Lab premises of its Campus North.
"With the Hydrogen Integration Platform, we've established a highly innovative research environment, as we can now investigate the interaction of different hydrogen technologies," said Professor Oliver Kraft, Vice President Academic Affairs at KIT. "This enables us not only to develop innovative solutions for a carbon-neutral energy system in the lab, but also to test them under realistic conditions."
Research Infrastructure for Future Hydrogen Systems
At the heart of the HIP is the largest non-commercial hydrogen liquefaction system in Germany. The plant's liquefaction capacity is 50 kilograms of hydrogen per day, which are provided both to research projects at KIT and to external partners. Test environments for energy storage systems, real-time simulations for their integration into future energy networks as well as innovative electrolysis methods add to this capability. The researchers are also going to study hydrogen drive units for rail-bound transport under realistic conditions. "The HIP allows us to test key components of the hydrogen value chain in an integrated infrastructure," said Professor Giovanni De Carne from KIT's Institute of Technical Physics (ITEP) and future director of the facility. "This paves the way for enhancing technologies in a targeted manner and customize them for practical applications."
In addition, a test track for a hybrid energy pipeline is being built for the combined transport of liquid hydrogen and electrical energy. For this purpose, the researchers will combine a line for hydrogen cooled down to its liquid state with superconducting power cables ensuring a virtually lossless transfer of energy at these temperatures. Using this infrastructure, it is possible to efficiently transfer large amounts of energy over long distances - for example, from wind and solar parks or port terminals to industrial facilities, airports, or logistics centers. "Hybrid energy pipelines might become compact energy highways in a future hydrogen economy," said Professor Tabea Arndt from the ITEP. "The combination of a hydrogen pipeline and superconducting cables makes it possible to couple energy supply, industry, and mobility in a flexible way." Superconducting motors for large vehicles might also benefit from the combination with liquid hydrogen. This is another strand of research the project members are going to follow.
Research to Build the Future of Hydrogen Economy
HIP is a platform that enables KIT researchers to investigate and enhance complex hydrogen systems under realistic conditions. It allows to test new technologies at an early stage, develop strategies for operation, and analyze their interaction with power grids and industrial applications. In the future, the research infrastructure is expected to further strengthen the collaboration with industrial partners and to help bring new hydrogen technologies to market more quickly.
