hydrogen

The German Federal Ministry of Economics and the German Federal Ministry of Transport selected 62 large-scale hydrogen projects to receive €8 billion in government funding. Furthermore, 11 projects have been selected in the framework of H2 Hub Airport, a call for expressions of interest to contribute to the surge of the hydrogen airport ecosystem in France. French energy company Total acquired a 20% stake in Hysetco, a French company developing hydrogen mobility in cities.

Australia’s hydrogen hype is raising questions about how to design the “future fuel” sector so it doesn’t become a fossil fuel lifeline. Nicky Ison, WWF Australia’s energy transition manager, lists ways to ensure that Australia’s hydrogen economy is cleanly built.

A new study commissioned by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation has indicated renewable hydrogen is already approaching cost competitiveness with that produced using fossil fuels but some in the industry say the government-owned green bank’s figures are much too conservative.

Spanish energy company Iberdrola and American power generation products producer Cummins have signed an agreement to promote a green hydrogen value chain in Spain by 2023. Denmark-based green hydrogen infrastructure company Everfuel has launched its H2 station roll-out plan for Denmark, targeting up to 19 fueling sites by the end of 2023. South Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor has said it would begin production of the world’s first mass-produced, heavy-duty truck powered by hydrogen, in August this year.

Junior power minister Nasrul Hamid, speaking at a signing ceremony for a planned 100 MW project, warned technology would have to develop to require less surface area for solar modules, although he did say Dhaka would fund research into rooftop solar.

The pilot project is combining hydrogen fuel cell generators with a combined capacity of 500 kW with a 570 kW solar array and 1.1 MWh of lithium-ion batteries. It is planned to come online in the spring of 2022.

Estonia relies heavily on oil shale, which accounts for 4% of the country’s GDP. The Baltic state is working to increase green hydrogen production, but PV is projected to maintain a marginal role despite the recent growth. We spoke about it with Estonian energy company Alexela and cleantech start-up PowerUP Energy Technologies.

AGN has commenced blending renewable hydrogen into part of its natural gas distribution network in Adelaide and Snam tested a 30% hydrogen/natural gas blend in the forging processes used in industrial steelmaking. Furthermore, Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) and other potential Brazilian partners participated in an evaluation mission to develop the hydrogen-focused technical cooperation project H2 Brazil with German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

German scientists have outlined a model to combine hydrogen storage with conventional battery storage in high-efficient energy buildings powered uniquely by photovoltaics. In the proposed configuration, the DC power of the PV system is connected directly to the hybrid hydrogen system, a lithium-ion battery, an electric water heater, and an inverter, which in turn would provide AC current to the household and a heat pump.

The project is the first solar-powered green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.