Brussels: Council of the European Union and the European Parliament raise renewable energy targets +++ UK: Kimberly-Clark plans to produce household and hygiene wipes with hydrogen +++ Portugal: Fusion Fuel supplies hydrogen to Hydrogen Ventures annually +++ Study: H2 infrastructure for long-haul commercial vehicles +++ Dates +++ DISCOUNT offer: Your advertisement on the PtX portal
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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European flag © European Council
The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have agreed to increase the share of renewable energy in the EU's total energy consumption to 42,5 percent by 2030. Previously, the Renewable Energy Directive set a target of 32 percent by 2030. An "indicative additional increase" of 2,5 percent to a share of 45 percent is also foreseen. To achieve these targets, negotiators from the Council and Parliament agreed on specific targets for the transport, industry, buildings, and district heating and cooling sectors. For example, the preliminary agreement stipulates a binding subordinate target: the share of renewable energy sources supplied to the transport sector must include 5,5 percent biofuels (from non-food feedstocks) and renewable fuels of non-biogenic origin (mostly renewable hydrogen and hydrogen-based synthetic fuels). Industry is to increase its use of renewable energy by 1,6 percent annually. This preliminary political agreement now needs to be confirmed by both legislative bodies.
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Andrex factory in the UK. © Octopus
The green hydrogen joint venture "Hyro," a collaboration between RES UK & Ireland Ltd. and Octopus Energy Generation , is working with Kimberly-Clark to replace natural gas with green hydrogen at the UK factories of the manufacturer of hygiene and household paper products ("Kleenex"). Hyro is partnering with industrial companies to develop green hydrogen plants powered by solar and wind energy. Under the latest agreement, Hyro is developing electrolyzers for two Kimberly-Clark production sites in Wales and Kent. The green hydrogen will be stored and used in hydrogen-compatible boilers at the factories for the production of tissues and toilet paper. The two electrolyzers have a combined capacity of 22,5 megawatts.
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Fusion Fuel has signed another green hydrogen supply contract in Portugal. © Fusion Fuel Green Plc
Fusion Fuel Green Plc has signed a ten-year offtake agreement with Hydrogen Ventures Ltd. for 30 tons of green hydrogen per year. According to the company, the first deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of 2023. The hydrogen will be produced at the company's projects in Évora, Portugal, where Fusion Fuel is expanding its production capacity to approximately 50 tons per year by the end of the year. Last November, the Canadian company Ballard Power Systems Inc. and the Ireland-based technology company Fusion Fuel commissioned the first "H2Évora" hydrogen project in Sabugo, in southern Portugal. The plant consists of 15 off-grid electrolyzers called "Hevo Solar," which produce 15 tons of green hydrogen per year. This is the second contract Fusion Fuel has signed in Portugal. In February, the company also received an order from the Portuguese gas supplier Dourogás for the supply of green hydrogen, which the company intends to inject into the Portuguese natural gas network as an additive.
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The study “H2 infrastructure for commercial vehicles in long-distance transport” is available free of charge as a PDF (107 pages).
A study by the H2BW platform analyzes how a hydrogen infrastructure for heavy-duty long-haul vehicles can be established. It provides an overview of the current state of development of the necessary fuel technologies, the required main components of refueling stations, and also examines the fuel costs that can be expected in the medium term. One of the findings of the analysis, coordinated by the state agency E-mobil BW, is that the current tank pressure level of 350 bar for buses and trucks offers insufficient range. "The relatively low compression of the gas leads to bulky tanks, which either restrict the usable volume and payload" or, if smaller, limit the range. The research team from Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH and the German Aerospace Center (DLR)... V.'s study compares three hydrogen fuel options and their respective stages of development: pressurized refueling with gaseous hydrogen (700 bar), refueling with cryogenic liquid hydrogen (sLH2), and refueling with cryogenic compressed hydrogen (CcH2). All three variants have specific advantages and disadvantages, such as technological maturity and the number of market players. All three options allow for an increase in the amount of energy within the available installation space, thus achieving the 1.000-kilometer range that is attractive for the mass market.
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
