More about hydrogen

Well, navigating through the topic of hydrogen isn't always easy! So, we've compiled some information to make things clearer for you.

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OUR HYDROGEN HEROES
Konrad Uebel - Edgar

Digital innovation is key in the new green hydrogen market. Here is the point of view of Konrad Uebel, CEO of FI Freiberg Institut GmbH and Edgar, a cutting-edge platform utilized by hydrogen refueling station manufacturers to simulate, dimension, and optimize HRS configurations.

According to you, what is the place of hydrogen in our energy system?

Green hydrogen holds a pivotal position in transforming the energy sector towards a future of zero-emission energy supply. Its importance lies in being a reliable, transportable, and affordable energy source with the capability of long-term storage. Moreover, green hydrogen plays a crucial role in industries' decarbonization efforts, heavy-duty mobility applications, and serves as a major component in the future circular economy with zero-emission hydrocarbon cycles.

In your opinion, what are the challenges to overcome in the hydrogen market?

To fully realize the potential of hydrogen, there are several challenges that demand our attention. First, it is crucial to decrease the system costs (LCOH) by scaling up series production and expanding the installation of cheap renewable energy sources. Second, we need to develop a robust market for green hydrogen trade and usage, including its application in hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) for various mobility solutions. Lastly, evaluating data from pilot plants and simultaneously upscaling projects to MW scale, with the support of public funding in the early market phase, holds immense importance for driving growth in the hydrogen sector.

How do you see the market growing?

The hydrogen market is poised for substantial growth, driven by national hydrogen strategies and corresponding legislative boundaries, such as the Clean Vehicle Directive and EU infrastructure regulations. Additionally, the emergence of promising technologies will fuel rising demand for green hydrogen across various sectors, including chemical industry, industry, mobility, and housing. Currently, we witness small, localized hydrogen clusters with decentralized supply and consumption, which will eventually be connected through hydrogen pipelines, creating a global market for supply and distribution networks utilizing ships, pipelines, or rail.

Could you tell us why digital and intelligent tools are needed in the hydrogenworld?

Digital and intelligent tools are imperative in the hydrogen world due to the increasing complexity of future energy systems. The integration of fluctuating renewables and the need for short- and long-term energy storage demand sophisticated planning and operation. Dynamic simulations are essential for accurately modeling and evaluating these complex systems. The application of computational intelligence and powerful computing ensures timely and optimized solutions, leading to faster decision making and implementation as well as resource and cost savings.

And this is where your product comes in?

Indeed, our product, Edgar, plays a pivotal role in the hydrogen world. Edgar is a cutting-edge platform utilized by hydrogen refueling station (HRS) manufacturers to simulate, dimension, and optimize HRS configurations. Leveraging algorithms, Edgar conducts rapid technical and economic calculations, resulting in the best configuration within a short timeframe. By utilizing predicted consumptions and cost data from our data manager, Edgar provides optimized planning, crucial KPIs, such as hydrogen demand andrefueling times, and a complete TOTEX analysis for customer projects. Additionally, we are excited to introduce Edgar HyPro at the end of September 2023, an upcoming application that will further enhance planning for entire hydrogen process chains.

Flore de Durfort - Point Twelve

Every hero has an extraordinary story, and this is even more true of our hydrogen heroes. So here is the story of Flore de Durfort, CEO & Co-founder of Point Twelve, a SaaS platform that enables goods producers to certify their green production.

Can you tell me what you did for a living before entering the world of hydrogen?

I have always been passionate about the energy transition. I studied energy markets and their regulation. And then I spent 10 years working for major electricity and gas producers and resellers, between Europe and the United States.

In this sector, I have always had a strong appetite for new business development and sales. And in 2017, I took a very tech and data turn: before founding Point Twelve, I was in charge of data monetization for E.ON, in a data team of 80 people.


Peter Parker became Spiderman because of a radioactive spider bite; Who bit you on hydrogen?

I worked at the crossroads of the gas, electricity and carbon markets, so all the ingredients were there for me to get into hydrogen!

Right from the start, I was driven by the fact that hydrogen is essential for decarbonizing industry. It has its place in the energy transition, alongside renewable electricity and carbon capture. And industry is going to have to produce, sell and buy certified low-carbon products - without it becoming a gas factory!

With Point Twelve, we are working to rethink low-carbon certification. Our focus is hydrogen, because it is an extremely interesting practical case for our vision: the automation of certification.

Today, certification is far too archaic!


And what would happen if we stayed with the existing certification system?

If we stay with a twentieth-century system, I see two major problems:

- A lot of time and money will be wasted on this. Verifying production, of hydrogen for example, requires a lot of manual data entry by on-site agents and, on top of that, audits which are both costly and less efficient than our continuous, real-time analysis solution (an audit only records a production sample).

On top of that, we are also losing time with the competition that exists today between different labels, and this fragmentation is dangerous. For example, imagine a green hydrogen producer in Spain who wants to export to another European country: right now, not all countries have the same certification system, so other countries don't necessarily "recognize" foreign certifications. That's why at Point Twelve we offer a digital passport per batch, which can be integrated into national registers as our projects progress. The aim is to automate certification across borders.

- There is a risk that players will lose confidence in less-than-transparent certifications. Today, there are few simple, reliable ways of proving that you are really producing something renewable and green. A lot of public money is being invested, many customers are interested in this subject, and the slightest failure on the part of one player could have an impact on all the others. Our solution is there to maximize the confidence of consumers, the regulator and the producers themselves in the sustainability of what they produce.


Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Zorro, Sergeant Garcia all fight against an enemy ... what do you battle against on a daily basis?

My daily battle: evangelism! A lot of people wonder why hydrogen has not taken off yet? Well, we have been talking about it for a long time now, and some people have been disappointed by a few announcements. Every day I bring them factual arguments to say that we have no choice but to turn to hydrogen, that it is not a gadget solution.

And then there are all those who are just starting out with hydrogen and don't yet understand the regulatory issues. We need to explain to them the complexity of the regulations (with the new European regulations on renewable fuels, we are reaching a level never before seen in oil and gas or electricity), the technical complexity of implementation and, above all, the financial impact.

If hydrogen isn't green, it will not be in demand, and it will not be subsidized.


What battles have you won that makes you stronger?

Every customer and every investor convinced that it is now and with us - it gives us tremendous energy. We are in the process of completing a fund-raising round that will enable us to redouble our efforts to get our decarbonized gas and fuel activities off the ground. We are succeeding more and more in making people understand that this certification issue needs to be tackled head-on now, that in 2 years of time it will be too late, and that we need to tackle it in a new way. Awareness is gradually building: customers are asking for it, regulators are asking for it, investors are asking for it... the subject is hot, and we have a solution!


What advice would you give to someone wanting to launch an innovative project?

Two things: "Just do it" and "Look for partners whose values are close to your own".

To elaborate a little, I find that the best way to convince is often to do, to take action as quickly as possible. Going fast means working first not necessarily with the "big names", but with partners who share the same values, the same vision and the same "doer" mindset.

Eric Baleviez - Safra

Eric Baleviez is the Commercial and Services Director at Safra. After 30 years of experience in urban mobility, first as a user (operator) and then as an electric vehicle manufacturer, Eric decided to join the hydrogen sector at Safra.

Safra was founded in 1955: how did the company start building hydrogen buses?

Originally, Safra was a bodywork company that gradually shifted towards vehicle renovation. The desire to extend the lifespan of vehicles has been part of the company's DNA since the beginning.

In 2011, the current President, who was then an engineer, Vincent Lemaire, decided to embark on the great adventure of building electric and then hydrogen buses. After an initial Businova, which was very groundbreaking for its time, they switched to "bus start-up" mode to design and build vehicles that meet high standards in terms of safety, performance, equipment, and certification.

Today, they have also integrated Retrofit activity into their range. It was a logical progression to combine their expertise in renovation and hydrogen innovation.

Do you have a small anecdote to share about Safra's history?

Our first hydrogen Businova was designed by only about ten people! It was the starting point of the great story that we writing now.

What is your greatest victory?

Today, there are about 20,000 buses running in France. Among them, 35 run on hydrogen, including 23 from Safra. It's a great source of pride!

Peter Parker became Spiderman because of a radioactive spider bite. What got you into hydrogen?

Throughout my career, I realized that the way hydrogen vehicles are manufactured and sold needs to be revised to reduce their cost of ownership. A hydrogen vehicle costs more to buy than a diesel vehicle, but in the long run, you can play with technical elements or operating methods to reduce overall costs.

That's how I switched to the manufacturing side.

And then, I fell in love with Safra's story, a French, human-sized company with a strong desire to invigorate our territories. We are actually the only 100% French player since we carry out studies, design, and construction in France (we even use a French fuel cell).

Finally, I work with passionate people of all ages and experiences, which is very stimulating!

Batman has his Joker, Peter Pan has Captain Hook... what do you fight against daily?

When you get into hydrogen, you often face many obstacles, whether they be financial or regulatory, for example, but also mentalities that are still skeptical about this energy vector. It's a daily struggle to move forward, step by step.

I also fight against an aging industrial environment, very routine, and full of historical rules.

With Safra and generally all hydrogen players, we try to shake things up! That's what drives us!

Is hydrogen the future?

Hydrogen should be part of a mix and combined with other forms of mobility, such as electric, for example. Hydrogen won't solve all problems, but it's an essential key to the ecological transition, yes.

When I see how fast we are moving forward every day at Safra, I am hopeful that we will leave a great legacy of what we are building in 50 years. We have already laid the foundations, and the outlines of the puzzle, now we just have to put the pieces in the middle.

In your opinion, why is hydrogen so topical?

I think hydrogen contributes to addressing the major challenges of our time:

  • The ecological crisis, if the hydrogen produced is 100% green
  • Territorial economic development (we will soon have 300 employees at Safra)
  • Geopolitical challenges: hydrogen allows France to move towards energy independence
  • Societal challenges: hydrogen helps to reduce diseases related to air pollution

Do you have 2 pieces of advice to give to those considering switching to hydrogen?

My first piece of advice is to evaluate whether hydrogen is really the right solution for your problem. For example, in passenger transport, it could be the perfect solution if you want to transport more people over longer distances.

My second piece of advice is to think in terms of an ecosystem. For example, if you want to switch to hydrogen and know that your product and service ranges will expand, then take advantage of that by converting other vehicles to hydrogen as well. This could include light utility vehicles. This allows you to use the production station for multiple purposes.

MORE INFO ON HYDROGEN
Driving around France in a hydrogen car is anything but impossible for the Moviatech team!

Driving around France in a hydrogen car is anything but impossible for the Moviatech team!
Biarritz, Lyon, Lille... In 2021, the Moviatech team took on the challenge of driving to all these cities in a hydrogen car to understand what could still be holding back long hydrogen journeys. Drawing on their experience, they then developed an app designed to help users plan these hydrogen trips. Phillip Van der Merwe, CEO of Moviatech, shares his insights.

Lesson #1: It's possible!

"We planned our tour of France and managed to complete it on time, without any major hitches. It wasn't easy, it wasn't always smooth, but we did it. We took national roads, highways, and even drove from Paris to Lille and back on a single tank. Most importantly, we met many people who had never seen a hydrogen car before!
What's great about these cars is the comfort – they're very quiet, even on the highway!"

Lesson #2: Access to stations is still a real constraint

"The first step is to know where the stations are and the conditions for accessing them. This information is available, but you still need to plan your route in advance.
When we arrived at the stations we had planned on our routes, they were not always open, not always ready to fill our tank (they need to build up pressure and this can take time between fill-ups), and sometimes specific subscriptions were needed to pay for the fuel. In short, there were many constraints to manage before arriving at the station, often by calling the station directly. We experienced a 30-minute refueling stop because everything was ready, but we also waited 16 hours for a fill-up because a truck had refueled just before us!"

Lesson #3: An app is needed to simplify all this

"We returned with one conviction: the situation was not acceptable for new hydrogen users, and an app had to be created to make life easier for everyone so that this mode of transport could be widely adopted and help us decarbonize mobility. We created a patented app where you can see available stations, book a time slot, view the price of hydrogen, and see if the hydrogen is green or not. You can also plan your trip. This app also allows you to pay for the transaction with a single payment method.
Thanks to the use of AI, data, and blockchain, and the transmission of data between stations, energy producers, and vehicles, we eliminate all barriers related to the use of a hydrogen vehicle."

Hydrogen Corridor: Charting the Path to a Renewable Future

Delve into the concept of hydrogen corridors, a vital component of our clean energy transition. Explore how these networks of hydrogen refuelling stations along major highways are revolutionizing transportation. Discover the collaborative efforts of governments, businesses, and researchers that give birth to hydrogen infrastructure corridors. Learn about the strategic layout of refuelling stations, the magic of the hydrogen network, and the role of renewable hydrogen in powering these corridors. Uncover the economic and environmental impact of hydrogen corridors and the challenges that must be overcome on the road to a greener future. Envision the potential of hydrogen corridors in shaping our transportation landscape and propelling us towards a sustainable tomorrow.

An Introduction to the Hydrogen Corridor

Hydrogen corridors are an integral part of the hydrogen infrastructure, incorporating a chain of hydrogen refuelling stations along major highways to facilitate hydrogen-powered transportation.

How Hydrogen Infrastructure Corridors are Born

The inception of a hydrogen infrastructure corridor starts with an ambitious plan to revolutionize transportation. Governments, businesses, and research institutions collaborate to build a network of refuelling stations, thereby creating a clean energy highway.

The Layout of a Hydrogen Refuelling Corridor

A hydrogen refuelling corridor is carefully planned. The station placements take into account the range of hydrogen vehicles, ensuring drivers can refuel conveniently and continue their journey.

The Magic of the Hydrogen Network Corridor

The hydrogen network corridor allows for the expansion of the hydrogen economy, promoting the use of renewable hydrogen in transportation. It brings together stakeholders in the hydrogen industry, unifying their efforts to ensure a cleaner, greener future.

Renewable Hydrogen in the Hydrogen Corridor

Renewable hydrogen, produced from renewable energy sources like wind and solar, is the green fuel of choice for the hydrogen corridor. This carbon-neutral fuel makes hydrogen corridors an invaluable asset in our quest for a sustainable future.

H2 Corridor: A Quick Look

An H2 corridor, simply another name for a hydrogen corridor, is a testament to the growth of renewable hydrogen. These corridors are proof of the expanding role of renewable hydrogen in our society.

The Stakeholders Behind the Hydrogen Corridor

The success of a hydrogen corridor is driven by a diverse array of stakeholders. Governments set policies and provide funding, businesses invest in infrastructure, and researchers work tirelessly to improve hydrogen technologies.

The Economic Impact of Hydrogen Infrastructure Corridors

Hydrogen infrastructure corridors provide a significant boost to the economy. They create jobs, stimulate technological innovation, and increase the demand for renewable hydrogen.

The Environmental Benefits of Hydrogen Refuelling Corridors

Hydrogen refuelling corridors, fuelled by renewable hydrogen, are a giant leap towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They promise a future where we can travel long distances without leaving a carbon footprint.

Overcoming Challenges in Developing a Hydrogen Network Corridor

Despite the immense potential of a hydrogen network corridor, there are hurdles to overcome. High costs, technological challenges, and market acceptance are just a few of these. However, as solutions are found, these challenges become stepping stones to success.

The Future of the Hydrogen Corridor

With advances in hydrogen technology and increasing support from governments and businesses, the future of the hydrogen corridor is bright. These green highways are set to become a common sight, making renewable hydrogen the fuel of choice for the transportation sector.

Conclusion

Hydrogen corridors are much more than just highways lined with refuelling stations. They represent our collective effort to build a sustainable future. With each new hydrogen corridor, we move a step closer to a world where renewable hydrogen is not just an alternative, but the norm.

Hydrogen Cluster: Fueling the Future with Renewable Energy

Discover how strategic collaboration among diverse stakeholders, from businesses to research institutions, is propelling the hydrogen movement forward. Explore the genesis of hydrogen initiatives, the importance of collaboration, and the pivotal role of renewable hydrogen within these clusters. Uncover the significance of expanding the hydrogen network and the emerging trends shaping the hydrogen initiative landscape. As we navigate challenges and opportunities, envision the future where hydrogen clusters become catalysts for a sustainable energy transition, lighting the way towards a cleaner, greener future.

The Hydrogen Cluster Concept

Hydrogen clusters are a strategic group of stakeholders, ranging from businesses to research institutions, united with the common goal of advancing hydrogen as a viable, sustainable energy solution.

The Genesis of Hydrogen Initiatives 

In response to the world's growing need for clean energy, numerous hydrogen initiatives sprouted, focusing on research, development, and deployment of hydrogen technologies.

Defining the Hydrogen Group 

The essence of a hydrogen group lies in a combined effort, where public and private sector organizations join forces to facilitate hydrogen's integration into our energy systems.

Importance of Hydrogen Collaboration 

In a hydrogen collaboration, each stakeholder brings unique strengths to the table. Joint efforts fast-track innovation, ensure safe practices, and stimulate economic growth, moving us closer to a green energy future.

Expanding the Hydrogen Network 

The hydrogen network, encompassing suppliers, manufacturers, end-users, policymakers, and researchers, must grow in tandem with technological advances. Expansion fuels knowledge exchange, market opportunities, and regulatory harmony.

Renewable Hydrogen and its Role in the Hydrogen Partnership 

In a hydrogen partnership, renewable hydrogen becomes the focal point. Renewable hydrogen, produced by water electrolysis powered by renewable energy, offers an unparalleled opportunity to decarbonize multiple sectors.

Deciphering the Hydrogen Consortium 

A hydrogen consortium brings together entities from across the value chain to collectively address challenges and accelerate the path to market for hydrogen technologies.

The Governance Structure in a Hydrogen Cluster 

A well-defined governance structure ensures effective coordination among the cluster's entities, alignment of objectives, and efficient resource allocation, driving the hydrogen cluster towards shared success.

Challenges and Opportunities in Hydrogen Clusters 

Despite the significant potential of hydrogen clusters, they face challenges - technological limitations, infrastructure needs, and regulatory hurdles. Each challenge, however, presents a springboard for innovation and growth.

Trends in the Hydrogen Initiative Landscape 

From emerging 'hydrogen valleys' to multinational hydrogen alliances, the hydrogen initiative landscape is constantly evolving. These trends are shaping the future of hydrogen clusters, gearing them for a sustainable tomorrow.

The Future of Hydrogen Groups 

Hydrogen groups stand at the precipice of an exciting era. As renewable hydrogen technologies mature and market acceptance grows, hydrogen clusters are poised to flourish, setting the stage for a sustainable energy future.

Conclusion

Hydrogen clusters, through strategic collaboration and concerted effort, hold the key to unlocking hydrogen's potential in our energy landscape. As we embark on this green energy journey, these clusters will be our compass, guiding us towards a sustainable future.

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