Germany debuts world’s first hydrogen-powered trains

This Wednesday (24) Germany inaugurates the first fleet of passenger trains operated with hydrogen in the world. The enterprise has 14 vehicles that operate with low noise, while emitting only steam and condensed water.

The hydrogen refueling system allows each locomotive to travel a distance of 100 kilometers between the cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude, in the north of the country.

The state of Lower Saxony is investing more than 93 million euros in the project closed by state-owned subsidiary Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LVNG), Alstom, which builds the trains, Elbe-Weser Railways and Transport Company (EVB), which drives the machines, and the gas and engineering company Linde.

Since 2012, LNVG has been developing alternatives to the more than 4,000 diesel-powered trains in the region. Today, five of them will be replaced by the new models, with the other nine being gradually replaced by the end of this year.

“We will no longer buy diesel vehicles to do even more for climate protection. We are also convinced that diesel trains will not be more economical to operate in the future. We are pleased to have achieved yet another milestone with our partners Linde and Alstom, as well as EVB,” explains Carmen Schawabl, the company’s management spokesperson.

Operating with just one tank of hydrogen daily, the vehicles contribute to reducing the load on the environment, taking into account that one kilo of hydrogen replaces approximately 4.5 liters of diesel oil. “Emissions-free mobility is one of the most important objectives to ensure a sustainable future”, says Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Alstom.

Importantly, only green hydrogen is actually carbon-free. Its water molecules are separated in a process called electrolysis. Initially, the project’s trains will be fueled with hydrogen resulting from industrial chemical production.

However, the expectation is that the element will be produced by electrolysis in Bremervörde from the third year, with a solar or wind farm calculated for this purpose. The measure is expected to increase the proportion of use of “green hydrogen” in trains initially to 35%.

The German group Siemens in partnership with Deutsche Bahn also has a similar project: a hydrogen train with 600km of autonomy. In a statement, the companies inform that the tests will begin in 2024, lasting one year. Martin Schneider, Business Development Manager at Siemens Energy, explains that the process of electrifying the roads for this type of initiative is very expensive:

“While a lot is being done now to reduce the cost of electrification, it still costs around €1 to €2 million to electrify a kilometer of track – and not worth it for around 30% of lines.”

“Now we have to establish the corresponding hydrogen infrastructure – in other words, create the technological conditions to economically produce and transport green hydrogen. Unfortunately, we are still in the early stages of this development – ​​and once again everything will depend on the right decisions being made: policymakers need to declare a clear commitment, markets need to use smart tools and, finally, the industry needs to develop the necessary technologies. for a future powered by hydrogen”, adds Martin Schneider.

*With supervision by Carolina Figueiredo

Source: CNN Brasil

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