Paul Rodden • Season: 2024 • Episode: 317
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Welcome to The Hydrogen Podcast!
In episode 317, It’s a big news week for hydrogen as Chart, Repsol, First Hydrogen, Totaal Energies Verbund and Toyota all announced big hydrogen projects and collaborations. I’ll go over all this news and give my thoughts on today’s hydrogen podcast.
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the podcast. Please feel free to email me at info@thehydrogenpodcast.com with any questions. Also, if you wouldn’t mind subscribing to my podcast using your preferred platform… I would greatly appreciate it.
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Paul Rodden
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Transcript:
It’s a big news week for hydrogen as Chart, Repsol, First Hydrogen, Total Energies Verbund and Toyota all announced big hydrogen projects and collaborations. I’ll go over all this news and give my thoughts on today’s hydrogen podcast.
So the big questions in the energy industry today are, how is hydrogen the primary driving force behind the evolution of energy? Where’s capital being deployed for hydrogen projects globally? And where are the best investment opportunities for early adopters who recognize the importance of hydrogen? I will address the critical issues and give you the information you need to deploy capital. Those are the questions will unlock the potential of hydrogen and this podcast will give you the answers. My name is Paul Rodden and welcome to the hydrogen podcast.
In a press release on May 28 Green Hydrogen: TE H2 Partners with VERBUND on a Large Project in Tunisia. TE H2 a joint-venture between TotalEnergies and EREN Groupe, together with VERBUND, Austria’s leading electricity company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Tunisia to study the implementation of a large green hydrogen project named “H2 Notos” for export to Central Europe through pipelines. H2 Notos aims to produce green hydrogen using electrolysers powered by large onshore wind and solar projects and supplied with desalinated sea water. The project aims to produce 200,000 tons of green hydrogen annually during its initial phase, with the potential to scale up production to one million tons per year in South Tunisia. The project will have access to the European market through the “SoutH2 Corridor”, a hydrogen pipeline project connecting North Africa to Italy, Austria, and Germany, which is expected to be commissioned around 2030.
TE H2, together with VERBUND, will be leading the development, financing, construction, and operation of the integrated project from production of green electricity to production of green hydrogen. In addition, VERBUND will coordinate the transport of the produced hydrogen towards Central Europe. Okay, so a massive collaboration between Total Energies and Verbund to get this electrolytic hydrogen project up and running in Tunisia. Now this announcement just being an MOU, there’s a lot of work still to be done to see if this project is economically viable. And I would bet that these companies are looking at Oman and their hydrogen developments as a blueprint for large scale desalinated electrolytic hydrogen operations. Hydro in Oman looks to be the leader in this type of hydrogen project development. So as Total and Verbund under doing their due diligence in Tunisia, Oman will set the pace to show what scale is needed to generate economically viable hydrogen from seawater.
And next and another press release on May 28. RETRANSMISSION: First Hydrogen Signs LOI to Secure e-Vans for Full Integration of Its Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powertrain. First hydrogen Corporation has signed a non-binding letter-of-intent (“LOI”) to secure, subject to a definitive agreement, a supply of e-Vans built by a large German multinational automotive manufacturer. The Company’s hydrogen-fuel-cell powertrain will be integrated into the German-branded vans, the integration process will include access to the vehicle manufacturer’s engineering, technicians, support, and certification. The supply line allows First Hydrogen to offer interested fleet operators a customized hydrogen-powered-fuel-cell light commercial vehicle in the near term.
First Hydrogen’s hydrogen-powered-fuel-cell vehicle (FCEV) recently completed trials with a large multinational logistics company, whose partners use commercial vans for parcel deliveries. The trial took place in London, UK, where the FCEV operated over 8 hours per day with multiple deliveries per hour.
The Company’s FCEV has also demonstrated how its fuel cell powertrain delivers power when needed, achieving outputs of 60kW in transient accelerations, and in previous trials the vehicle has achieved a peak range of 630km (400 miles) on a single refueling in previous trials. This indicates the vehicle can manage more demanding duties, such as carrying heavier payloads, driving over hilly terrain or powering auxiliary equipment (onboard power). And in a quote from Balraj Mann Group CEO of first hydrogen. This collaboration will provide us access to acquire vehicles, integration capabilities and technical support to bring our FCEVs to the North American market. We were the first to the market with our two original FCEVs which now have completed four successful trials in the U.K.
The company continues to receive interest to trial the FCEVs with strong interest from North America. Okay, so first hydrogen with a potentially massive win, and I say potential as this letter of intent is still waiting for definitive agreement. With whatever German automaker this is. I do have a strong suspicion of who it could be and that is Daimler. They are already testing the hydrogen waters with their class eight vehicles, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them partner with another fuel cell manufacturer for light duty commercial applications.
So if this agreement does go into effect, this will be a huge win for first hydrogen and a massive boost for hydrogen powered light duty transportation. Next, in another press release on May 28. Chart Industries to Provide Hydrogen Compression Solutions to Repsol’s Alba Project for its Sines Refinery in Portugal.
Chart industries a global leader in clean energy and industrial gas solutions, has been chosen to supply its cutting-edge Howden hydrogen compression solutions to support Repsol’s €657 million expansion of its Sines industrial complex in Portugal. Repsol’s expansion project at its Sines facility is a strategic move towards achieving 100% recyclable high-value materials from two new Polypropylene and Polyethylene plants. This plant will utilize solar-powered green electrolytic hydrogen, aligning with Repsol’s commitment to fostering their energy transition initiatives and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Chart will supply two diaphragm compressors, ensuring reliable, contamination-free, high-pressure hydrogen delivery for the process. The Alba Project, slated for operation in 2025, will be the largest industrial investment in Portugal in the past decade, elevating Repsol’s Sines Industrial Complex to one of the most advanced in Europe. In a quote from Jill Evanko, the CEO of chart industries. We are proud to support Repsol on this transformative project. Our hydrogen compression solutions represent our commitment to sustainable and efficient energy solutions, and we look forward to supporting Repsol’s vision for a greener future. Okay, so a big win for both Chart and Repsol.
Now we’ve had Jill Evanko on the show previously, and if you haven’t listened to that interview yet I highly recommend it. She is a great leader and has established chart as a major player in the hydrogen economy. It’s also good to hear Repsol is moving forward with their hydrogen plans in Portugal, especially as the European hydrogen backbone continues to develop more in Western Europe. So congratulations to chart this is a huge and very deserving win. And lastly today in an article in The Associated Press, Yuri Kageyama writes Toyota shows ‘an engine reborn’ with green fuel despite global push for battery electric cars. “An engine reborn.” That’s how Japanese automaker Toyota introduced plans to cast a futuristic spin on the traditional internal combustion engine.
During a three-hour presentation at a Tokyo hall Tuesday, the car manufacturer giant announced it would offer lean compact engines that also run on so-called green fuels like hydrogen and bioethanol, or get paired with zero-emissions electric motors in hybrids. This comes as many competitors in the auto industry are pushing for fully electric vehicles. China is revving its push for Battery Electric Vehicles, and its own BYD is threatening to outshine Tesla in that push. Toyota’s Chief Executive Koji Sato said the “engine is optimized for the electrification era” with hopes of helping push the world into “carbon neutrality.” Toyota already has a well-known hybrid car — the Prius — with a gas engine and an electric motor.
It switches between the two to deliver a cleaner drive. In future hybrids, the electric motor is set to become the main driving power, and the new engine will be designed to take a lesser role and help it along, according to Toyota. Domestic allies Subaru Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp., both preparing ecological engines designed to meet the inevitably upcoming stringent emissions standards, joined Toyota ‘s presentation billed as a “multi-pathway workshop.” “Each company wants to win, but we can be faster if we work together,” said Sato. But details on when the engines were coming to market weren’t disclosed. The legacy of the car engine could be felt everywhere. Mazda said that its prized rotary engine, introduced more than 50 years ago, was being adapted for electric vehicles.
Subaru, meanwhile, showcased its trademark smaller horizontally opposed engine. While Chief Technology Officer Tetsuro Fujinuki confirmed the company was working on a great “Subaru-like” electric vehicle, he said the company wasn’t about to dump the engine altogether. Toyota, too, is working on stylish BEVs. The executives said Tuesday that energy supply conditions differed globally, adding that products had to meet various customer needs and the investments needed for mass-producing BEVS were enormous.
Toyota officials also repeatedly noted that 5.5 million jobs were at stake in the overall supply chain for vehicle production in Japan nowadays, so a sudden shift to electric cars wasn’t economically possible or socially responsible. Takahiro Fujimoto, a professor of business at Waseda University, believes electric vehicles are a key solution for reducing emissions. But they still have weak points, such as large amounts of emissions produced while making lithium-ion batteries, a chief component. In Japan, for instance, commuters use trains, so that may be a better ecological choice for transportation, Fujimoto said. Okay. So why did I include this article? It doesn’t seem like hydrogen was featured much. Well, to me, that’s the point for Toyota hydrogen is now seen as just a commodity, an obvious choice, where hydrogen was once touted as a potentially viable choice.
Toyota now lists it as a no brainer. This mindset is where the hydrogen economy needs to go. Hydrogen is the solution to many issues, transportation being one of them, and it should be thought of as the obvious choice.
All right, that’s it for me, everyone. If you have a second, I would really appreciate it. If you could leave a good review on whatever platform it is that you listen to Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google, YouTube, whatever it is, that would be a tremendous help to the show. And as always, if you ever have any feedback, you’re welcome to email me directly at info@thehydrogenpodcast.com. So until next time, keep your eyes up and honor one another. Hey, this is Paul. I hope you liked this podcast. If you did and want to hear more. I’d appreciate it if you would either subscribe to this channel on YouTube, or connect with your favorite platform through my website at www.thehydrogenpodcast.com. Thanks for listening. I very much appreciate it. Have a great day.
