CAP of Chile uses green hydrogen to create sustainable steel
The Huachipato facility in Talcahuano will decarbonize steel production thanks to a green hydrogen pilot plant being built by Chile’s largest steel manufacturer, CAP.
CAP aims to switch out the coke coal in the blast furnaces and provide cleaner fuels for the direct reduction facility.
Infrastructure head Patricia López stated at the Fichtner Forum Hydrogen Chile 2023 event that tests are being conducted as part of the H2V CAP project, which is using 12MW electrolyzers that will be upgraded to 17.5MW.
By 2030, the pilot is anticipated to consolidate a green steel line and produce 1,550t of green hydrogen.
Corfo, the state development agency, contributed US$3.6 million, and CAP is putting together technical data to be submitted to SEA, the environmental assessment agency.
According to López, the pilot phase will last through 2025, and production of the crucial sponge iron or hot iron briquettes, which is used in steel mills, is expected to start in 2027.
Hydra Energy’s Prince George hydrogen station will serve eight fleets and 82 trucks
In Prince George, British Columbia, Hydra Energy has surpassed its target by securing eight fleets totaling 82 vehicles that would use what it calls the largest hydrogen refuelling station in the world.
The fuelling station is scheduled to open the following year. The retrofit Hydra offers fleets substitutes affordable hydrogen for around 40% of the diesel consumption. The retrofits for the eight new fleets that will be installing the system will be handled by its installation partner First Truck Centre.
According to a press statement from Hydra, the fuelling station will provide green hydrogen that has been created on-site using two five megawatt electrolysers that are powered by hydroelectricity. The agreement, according to the company, will result in the world’s largest commercial deployment of vehicles that co-combust hydrogen and diesel.
WFW advises Beyfin on roadside hydrogen supply PNRR funding
In accordance with Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) provided advice to Beyfin Group SpA (“Beyfin”) on the auction process for obtaining money for “Experimentation on the use of hydrogen in road transport” (PNRR).
The money will mostly be utilised to deliver hydrogen together with petrol at Beyfin’s current service station in the Arezzo area.
The overall Italian PNRR funding plan, which includes Beyfin’s initiative, intends to build at least 40 gas stations that give hydrogen to drivers in locations with high levels of traffic, such as near to internal terminals and on direct routes taken by long-haul trucks.
The LPG (cylinders, small tanks, channelled networks, vehicles) and traditional fuels (petrol and diesel) as well as natural gas industries are all served by the Italian business Beyfin. It has started down a path of organised sustainability and social responsibility, which includes switching to hydrogen.
Tui plans to use hydrogen holiday shuttles through Mallorca
The first hydrogen-powered holiday shuttles will be used in Mallorca starting with the 2023 season, according to the travel operator Tui.
The first minibuses will be used to transport tourists between the airport and hotels in the summer, according to Sebastian Ebel, CEO of Tui, who spoke to the media in Palma on Wednesday. Early in March, Tui spoke with the Balearic administration about potential collaboration on this issue during the ITB tourism trade show in Berlin.
Piedmont aims to become hydrogen leader in Italy
Five of the 36 Pnrr-funded projects to construct sustainable hydrogen refuelling stations are located in Piedmont.
A significant development for the growth of our Hydrogen valley, since it places the area at the top of the ranking created by the Ministry of Infrastructure, with Veneto (8 projects) and Lombardy (5 projects).
The new hydrogen filling stations will be located in Vicolungo in the Novara region, Torrazza Piemonte in the Turin region, and Tortona, Arquata Scrivia, and Belforte Ovada in the Alessandria region. The 15.75 million euro package for Piedmont will be distributed through one of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan’s bids.
Avions Mauboussin flies subscale Alérion M1H light aircraft
Avions Mauboussin’s two-seat fixed-wing Alérion M1h subscale model flew. The French startup plans to build a hybrid-electric model before a hydrogen-powered one.
Avions Mauboussin reported the February 23 battery-electric M1h flight this week. The corporation is testing at Montbéliard-Courcelles airstrip near its Belfort headquarters in eastern France.
President David Gallezot expects his team to have a hydrogen propulsion system ready by the end of the year. The Zéphyr hybrid-electric propulsion technology is also being developed in-house.
The company chose a turbine engine over a piston engine because it is more compatible with hydrogen fuel. The aeroplane will operate in “flex-fuel” mode so customers can refill with gasoline or hydrogen, depending on availability. To accommodate early customers who may be discouraged by hydrogen fuel shortages, serial hybrid propulsion will be available for early aircraft.
The electric motor is in the front, the batteries in the wings, and the hydrogen and/or conventional fuel tanks in the fuselage’s larger midsection. Several firewalls keep these elements protected. The motor powers wingtip coaxial propellers.
Honeywell and WPI join on hydrogen fuel cell solutions for aircraft
By investigating how hydrogen fuel cells might help power the next generation of aircraft, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Honeywell Aerospace have formed a new relationship with the express purpose of assisting the aviation sector in reducing its carbon footprint.
For all types of air travel, including unmanned aerial vehicles, passenger, and freight aircraft, this work focuses on hydrogen storage and power generation technology. With lab space in Goddard Hall and offices in Gateway Park, Honeywell has built a sizable presence on the campus of WPI and is delivering hydrogen technology and equipment.
A group of about 25 Honeywell team members are collaborating with WPI professionals and students through this new collaborative on the development of hydrogen storage and fuel cell technologies over the course of several years. Currently, Honeywell is using these technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles, and the Honeywell-WPI team is looking into hydrogen fuel alternatives for larger aircraft, air taxis, cargo drones, and unmanned aerial vehicles that one day may power commuter and regional flights without using fossil fuels. Aviation generated 2.8% of the world’s CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels in 2019, according to the International Energy Agency, but this number is expected to rise as other industries decarbonize and air travel continues to grow.
Five companies make PLI cut to build hydrogen-powered vehicles
Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishan Pal Gurjar informed the Lok Sabha that the government had chosen five firms to produce hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles under the Rs 25,938 crore production-linked incentive scheme for the automobile and auto component industry (PLI-Auto). These firms are Ashok Leyland, Eicher Motors, Pinnacle Mobility, Tata Motors, and Booma Innovative.
The 20 candidates chosen by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) for its Champion OEM Incentive programme include the five original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Champion OEM and Component Champion are the two elements that make up the Rs 25,938 crore PLI-Auto plan. The Champion OEM Incentive programme is a sales value-linked programme that is applicable to all segments of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars.
In contrast to the expected aim of investment of Rs 42,500 crore over a period of five years, the PLI-Auto plan has attracted a proposed investment of Rs 74,850 crore, according to MHI data. From accepted applicants under the Champion OEM Incentive Scheme, a proposed investment of Rs. 45,016 crore and Rs. 29,834 crore from authorised applicants under the Component Champion Incentive Scheme, respectively, are included.
According to information from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) Pune, ARAI and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) had extensively worked on hydrogenated CNG (HCNG) engine development for the finalisation of hydrogen blend in CNG and developed HCNG engines for Indian OEMs, the minister stated while updating Parliament on the research and development in the hydrogen blending initiative.
