Alstom recently announced that its hydrogen train prototype, called Coradia Ilint, had been approved by the German federal authorities. This train, intended for the transport of travelers, represents a world premiere. It should also circulate in France, if the tests are conclusive.
The manufacturer Alstom has just received the green light from the German rail authority (EBA) to launch the sales department of its hydrogen train on the rail network across the Rhine. Tracks are currently emerging to roll the Coradia Ilint in France. Indeed, a report of the parliamentary mission on the hydrogen train will be given at the end of September in Matignon. Rejecting neither CO2 nor fine particles, hydrogen engines are an ideal technical solution. This first report aims to study the potential of this technology in order to experience it by 2022.
Condensed water vapor and water for the only emissions
Seen from the outside, the Coradia Ilint is similar to a completely commonplace train. However, a small detail differentiates it from regional trains: this locomotive does not reject a gram of CO2. Propelled by a fuel cell, it is based on the Coradia Lint 54, a diesel model designed by Alstom. These trains, intended for non -electrified tracks, are very widespread on the German regional lines, but also in France where they still represent half of the park. But unlike Coradia Lint 54, this new model is silent and generates for only emissions from water vapor and condensed water.
The operation of the hydrogen gear is relatively simple: hydrogen stored in tanks mixes with air oxygen in the fuel cell. This leads to the production of electricity to feed the train, and water rejected in the atmosphere. In detail, this process is a little more complicated. Indeed, the electricity produced can be used by motors or stored in the batteries. In addition, a converter/inverter system checks that electricity correctly feeds the engine and ensures the recovery of the braking energy contained in the batteries. This complex system works thanks to algorithms created to optimize the use of these energy flows.
According to the manufacturer Alstom, Coradia Ilint would reduce CO2 emissions by 45 % when hydrogen comes from hydrocarbons. But hydrogen can also be produced thanks to renewable energies. The CO2 reduction compared to a diesel train would then be 100 %. The entry into commercial service of this new train to Germany and then in France marks a crucial stage for Alstom which sees it as a revolution in mobility without emissions.
Where is the French hydrogen train project?
The Coradia Ilint will be inaugurated on September 16, 2018 in Germany. In France, a parliamentary mission was launched to study the project developed by Alstom. This mission was entrusted by the Prime Minister to Benoît Simian, LREM deputy of the Gironde, who should give a pre -report at the end of September before the final report at the end of November. In France, the hydrogen train would circulate on non-electrified lines, that is to say in classified areas regional natural parks or close to metropolises, and would therefore replace diesel trains.
The report must notably decide the question of the supply of hydrogen (hydrogen from solar or wind production, or hydrogen produced from hydrocarbons). That of energy transport and storage is also placed. Currently, more than 95 % of production comes from fossil resources (gas, oil, coal). Hydrogen production therefore generates a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). The remaining 5 % is produced by water electrolysis, a less widespread solution, as it is more expensive. In this case, the hydrogen source is water and the energy source is electricity. This track must necessarily be dug to meet the current and future climatic issues.
Two southwest regions are already candidates
The Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions expressed their interest in experimenting with the first hydrogen trains. According to Benoît Simian, the Southwest has undeniable assets with the presence of companies such as Stelia Aerospace Composites, specialized in the manufacture of hydrogen, or hydrogen tanks (HDF), which wishes to deploy the manufacture of a battery to fuel. Several lines are currently envisaged for an experiment, including Macau-Soulac, in Gironde, and Pau-Bedous, in Aspe Valley. The Ford Aquitaine site in Blanquefort could meet all the conditions, specifies the deputy in the 20 -minute columns. Ford said that stopping the production of gearboxes in this factory was scheduled for 2019. But the future of the site is still uncertain. Indeed, if employees claim the maintenance of the activity, the question of conversion is not excluded. This industrial site located near Blanquefort station can also accommodate a solar power plant, which would allow the charging stations to be pooled.
The “Spacetrain”, a new project under study in the Loiret
In the Loiret, a group of engineers is currently working on a train project operating in hydrogen. This was launched by a French start-up specializing in transport engineering. Its objective: to design a train that can roll up to 720 km/h without making noise or polluting, and inexpensive. It would be a train circulating two millimeters from the ground, the principle of which is based on propulsion by induction motors on a monorail creating a magnetic field. This shuttle without wheels, on air cushions, must have a limited impact on the environment. Its silent engines will be supplied by hydrogen. With a planned maximum speed of 720 km/h, the “space-train” would crush the competition. Indeed, the Maglev, in Japan, is currently the fastest train, with a maximum speed of 603 km/h.
Tests are scheduled for the end of 2019 or early 2020 for marketing in 2025. By then, 30 million euros must still be collected to restore the aerotrain route located six meters from height. According to the start-up, the construction of the “space-train” tracks should be much more competitive than those of the TGV, about twice and a half times cheaper. Case to follow.
France’s plan to support the hydrogen sector
These two projects reveal an increasing interest in hydrogen solutions. Thus, in early June 2018, the government announced its support plan for the hydrogen sector. Its ambition: to make France a world leader in this still emerging technology. The former Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition, Nicolas Hulot, said that hydrogen could become a major solution for the energy mix of tomorrow. This plan provides an envelope of 100 million euros from 2019, controlled with ADEME, devoted to the first deployments of hydrogen in industry, mobility and energy.
More concretely, this hydrogen sector support plan provides for seven key measures. First of all, it sets a trajectory in the use of green hydrogen objectives for industrial uses: 10 % of hydrogen decarbon in industrial hydrogen by 2023; Between 20 to 40 % by 2028. Next, a hydrogen traceability system should be put in place in 2020. The plan presented also aims to highlight the environmental impact of hydrogen in the Greenhouse gases regulations in order to differentiate hydrogen from its production method.
Third measure: the launch of hydrogen production experiments by electrolysis from renewable energies in remote territories. The plan also provides better identification of the services rendered by hydrogen, in particular in terms of storage. This should allow communities to provide in their multi -year energy programming (PPE) specific measures and objectives applying to the storage of hydrogen. It will also be important to prepare the arrival of the Power-to-Gas to convert electricity from renewable energies. Thus, car carriers and distributors will have to determine the technical and economic conditions for the injection of hydrogen into the network.
The fifth measure relates to the deployment of territorial hydrogen mobility ecosystems, based in particular on the fleets of professional vehicles. The plan provides for the production of 5,000 light utility vehicles and 200 heavy vehicles, and the construction of 100 stations, supplied with hydrogen. By 2028: 20,000 to 50,000 light utility vehicles, 800 to 2,000 heavy vehicles and 400 to 1,000 stations. It aims to support the development of a range of heavy road vehicles, but also other modes of transport such as aeronautical boats and trains. Finally, a regulatory framework must be created for service stations distributing hydrogen. The creation of an international qualification center – Certification of high pressure H2 components for road mobility, aeronautics, river, rail and maritime – is also envisaged.
Thus, in France, by 2050, hydrogen could meet 20 % of the demand for final energy and reduce the annual CO2 emissions by 55 million tonnes. Fuel batteries and hydrogen will then allow the creation of a full -fledged industry that can represent a turnover of around 40 billion euros and more than 150,000 jobs. The arrival of the first hydrogen train on rails in France is part of this goal. Hydrogen effectively has assets that will become essential for the energy transition.
