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Hydrogen technologies save €350 million for rail

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Hydrogen technologies, instead of catenary electrification need to be developed for our railway.

Stadler’s diesel powered multiple unit on estonian railway.

The Estonian Association of Hydrogen Technologies proposes to take up hydrogen technologies instead of catenary electrification. Hydrogen technologies would save €350 million for the state and compared to catenary electrification allows reaching Estonia’s climate goals by 3 times and renewable energy targets 6 times cheaper.

In the proposal sent to the ministries and parliament it is recommended to hold plans for electrification until a result is achieved on the deployment of hydrogen technologies on rail.

Reducing the carbon footprint in transportation and rail is one of the key challenges for Estonia in the coming years. The current plan is to achieve renewable energy goals by electrifying rail and it is expected to cost €428 million. The government made this principle decision in the summer of 2019 and Estonian Railways announced the procurement of design work in May this year.

The train traffic is too sparse on Estonian railway, which gives the opportunity for hydrogen technologies.

It is now the last chance to make a strategic decision to adopt hydrogen technologies on rail, make Estonia lead the world in this field of technology, save €350 million for other projects and help us reach climate- and renewable energy goals times cheaper. The failure to make forward-looking decisions now would mean decades-long entanglement with yesterday’s wasteful technologies and an aggravation of the development gap. However, the savings effect of the introduction of next generation technologies would provide an additional opportunity to make additional investments in railways, such as achieving the speed of passenger traffic suitable for a modern European country.

By implementing these proposals, perhaps by 2030 it will be possible to travel from Tallinn to Tartu by a more efficient, cleaner hydrogen train instead of a diesel. With the money saved, opportunities could be created to improve the railway in the direction of Narva and Tartu, perhaps even allowing passenger trains at speeds beyond the current ambition of 135 km/h but also allowing for more efficient services, additional trains and smarter systems.”

The proposals also indicate that hydrogen production based on rail transport can be further developed to include hydrogen for road vehicles. With the introduction of hydrogen technology on the railway, it is possible to create preconditions for covering the whole of Estonia with universal hydrogen infrastructure.

We dont have a planet B

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Estonian Hydrogen implementation vision

We have a plan H2 instead.

The Estonian Association of Hydrogen Technologies made a proposal to the Municipality of Tallinn to participate in the EU funded FCH Regions.
The project is fully funded by FCH JU and if approved, will provide the following:

  • Financial analysis
  • Technical analysis
  • Removal of market barriers
  • Expert advice on reaching both environmental and climate goals
  • Co-financing assistance on any project deployments.

We are not afraid of new insights!
Such FCH JU aid is estimated by us to be worth about 250 000 €. The project lasts for up to 12 months, would be just the first stepping stone and would help complete the upcoming Estonian Hydrogen Roadmap.

Eligibility criteria

  • Read and understand what is required of us and offered in return
  • Put the left foot forward
  • Accept the offered knowledge, assistance and know-how

Cooperation

The entire project is planned to be as observable as possible. Furthermore, additional “observers” will be included in all projects to get the latest updates and outcomes of the fulfilling of the set hydrogen economy visions.

Estonia’s task-force for the adoption of Hydrogen Technologies

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Estonian Ministry of Environment initiated the hydrogen working group on 25th October 2019. The goal is to analyze and set up The Hydrogen Roadmap for Estonia. Usage of hydrogen and fuel cell technology are the key elements guiding Estonia to the carbon-neutral economy to achieve climate targets.

Hydrogen working group set up the first goals towards to carbon-neutral Estonia

The current meeting was to follow up Hydrogen Initiative signed by Estonia 2018 in Linz (Austria). Estonian Climate and Energy committee, which is led by prime minister analyzed the climate and economic impacts to achieve EU climate neutrality by 2050.
On the 03rd of October 2019 Estonia joined long term vision of EU climate neutrality 2050.

On kick-off meeting the first goal was set up, which is to issue Hydrogen Roadmap for Estonia. Next hydrogen working group meeting is scheduled in early November, where we are planning to discuss more specifically policy and technical measures to be considered.

Elcogen is nominated for the best European SME fuel cell success story.

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Elcogen is nominated in the category of European individual fuel cell success story for the SMEs. The FCH JU marked that the productivity and competitiveness of SMEs will benefit everyone. FCH JU emphasized that nominations illustrate the approach of continuous learning, from creating low-carbon and sustainable solutions, enabling market entry for new products, developing ‘next generation’ products based on previous research, to opening new markets for European expertise in fuel cell and hydrogen (FCH) technology.

 

Read more from press release.