GERMANY: Green hydrogen producer Lhyfe has completed an electrolysis plant at DB Energie’s Tübingen innovation centre as part of the H2goesRail project which aims to develop a complete hydrogen system for regional trains, including fuel production facilities and a refuelling point.
The plant will produce hydrogen for testing a fuel cell powered Siemens Mobility Mireo Plus H trainset between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim.
It has an installed electrolysis capacity of 1 MW and annual production capacity of up to 30 tonnes, and will use renewable electricity from DB’s wind, solar and hydroelectric portfolio.
Lhyfe will use the plant to gain experience of running a largely autonomous system and of combining production with a refuelling point.
‘This project demonstrates the economic viability of hydrogen in the transport and mobility sector’, said Luc Graré, Head of Central & Eastern Europe at Lhyfe, on June 19. ‘Sustainable energy sources and innovative technologies are needed to decarbonise the transport sector.’
He said green hydrogen trains offer ’a clean and efficient alternative to conventional diesel-powered trains as they are virtually CO2-free’.
Lhyfe began operating its first green hydrogen site in France in 2021, two more French sites opened in 2023 and a 10 MW plant is being built in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The company is aiming to become a major player in the transport and industrial hydrogen supply market, and has several other sites under construction.
