A building dating from the early ’900 located in Gignod – Valle d’Aosta, is changing its energy class G (an oil boiler) to hydrogen. The needs for heat and electricity will be fully satisfied from renewable sources and the building will be independent of public power distribution networks: “off grid”.
The European Commission’s forecast of a 3-4% market share for electric cars by 2020 is unrealistic, chief executive of Volvo Cars Stefan Jacoby told an industry seminar in Brussels. The EU executive expects the share to rise to 30% by 2030. The forecasts were made in the commission’s strategy on clean and energy-efficient vehicles, the main aim of which is to boost the uptake of electric cars. “Industry studies indicate several member states are overestimating the speed at which electrified vehicles are being introduced,” Mr Jacoby told the seminar’s participants. The cost of battery technologies is not going down fast enough because the EU lacks coordinated incentives, he added. Because of this, “the market share for electrified vehicles will struggle to pass the 1% mark by 2020″. Mr Jacoby also fears that the incentives needed to spur more significant uptake are being threatened by Europe’s debt crisis. A consultancy study published by the commission’s climate department also warned about the risk of an “electric depression” after 2012 when current government programmes run out. The risk of a much lower than expected uptake also raises questions about the new transport policy white paper, which foresees the phase-out of conventionally fuelled cars from cities by [...]
Today there are growing numbers of fuel cell products progress towards commercialisation. In many instances, by addressing the questions around hydrogen supply, electrolysers are smoothing the way for fuel cell deployment.
A future powered by hydrogen fuel, whose only byproduct is water, has long been an eco-friendly dream too difficult to realize. Storing and transporting hydrogen can be difficult and dangerous, and hydrogen production methods can also produce unwanted carbon dioxide. A new catalyst promises to solve these problems, using CO2 and hydrogen to store energy in liquid form. The only thing you need to worry about is pH. It’s the first catalyst to combine hydrogen and CO2 at room temperature and pressure, using water as the liquefying solution. As such, it could use existing fuel infrastructure built for the liquid hydrocarbons we have been using since the dawn of the combustion engine. In basic (as in alkaline) conditions, the catalyst converts hydrogen and CO2 into formic acid, a promising hydrogen-storage fluid that is safer to handle and transport than cryogenically stored dihydrogen. If you flip the pH switch to acidic, the resulting redox reaction frees the hydrogen from its carbon bonds, allowing you to grab and use the hydrogen for use in a fuel cell. Scientists from Brookhaven National Laboratoryand the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan worked with iridium-based catalysts with specific types of ligands, which are clusters of atoms [...]
The latest EU Fuel Cell Hydrogen bus project, High V.LO-City, was inaugurated by the president of the Provice of Imperia on March 23, 2012.
The Fondo rotativo per Kyoto, whose goal is to fund a wide range of interventions for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, was established at the cassa depositi e prestiti.
On March 19, 2012 was presented the experimental CHP and fuel station system fueled with a mixture of hydrogen and methane, installed at the Sapienza University of Rome sports facilities – Viale Tor di Quinto.
At the One Europe One Grid conference a joint declaration was signed between Climate Parlement, Desertec. MedGrid, Renewables Grid Initiatives and Friends of the SuperGrid to support the development of ”a pan-European transmission network facilitating the integration of large-scale renewable energy and the balancing and transportation of electricity, with the aim of improving the European market”. The role of energy storage is key as indicated by Joe Corbett, of Mainstream Renewable Power of Ireland chair of one of the work groups. In a panel discussion at the conference Michael Weinhold, CTO of Siemens indicated that in parallel to the Supergrid discussions in reality in Germany many local power network initiatives have sprung up of energy consumers building their own local renewable networks. Delivering the keynote address, Belgian Minister for the North Sea, Johan Vande Lanotte said “Over the last 30 years Europe has built a highways network. Our priority now must be to do the same for our electricity grids. This is how we will deliver Supergrid. In Belgium we are building a “Super plug” to connect a series of offshore wind parks and link Belgium with its neighbours. That is the first step to Supergrid.” The new planned windpower in UK, 10.000 MW, [...]
The first free and fast charging station for electric vehicles in the country was presented March 15, 2012 in Monza at Iper, La grande i. The initiative is part of the project “Green Land Mobility”, promoted by non-profit organization Class, the Ministry of Environment, the Lombardy Region and the Province of Monza and Brianza - that triggered the strategic project ”Moving Better” dedicated to sustainable mobility . ”Green Land Mobility” has been selected by the Authority for Electricity and Gas as a pilot project for creating an infrastructure to promote sustainable mobility. The station consists of 6 columns, made of recyclable material, with a power rating of 24 kW. The columns can provide electric energy, in short times, to all electric vehicles on the market. The charging station is constantly connected to the Internet to allow, through the site greenlandmobility, the use of multiple interactive features: on-line request for information, calculation of CO2 saved, booking charge, via sms or e-mail alert completion of charging, geo-referenced location of charging points; malfunctions notification, “Green Land Card” request (required for the use of columns). Recharging can be done by using the “Regional Services Card”: since March, all owners of an electric vehicle, equipped with plug and cable that meet the requirements for re-charging in a public place, may make an unlimited number of refills. Within the first months of 2012, the columns will be installed at Iper, La grande i retails in Rozzano (MI) and Milan-Portello, but in the following months, it is already planned the creation of electric charging stations in all the other large retailers involved [...]
The three hydrogen-powered buses, that will soon be in service for ATM, are now arrived in Milan. Wednesday 14 March 2012 at the conference of the European project Clean Hydrogen in European Cities (Chic), in which is also involved the City of Milan, was presented the new hydrogen ATM coach. The fleet of ATM is composed of three zero emission buses that will come soon in operation at the municipality of Milan. The three Mercedes-Benz Citaro Fuel Cell Hybrid buses are hybrid vehicles with fuel cells. The new buses will refuel at two deposits: the ATM San Donato deposit, where the fuel station construction is almost completed, and another gas station yet to be built. On the way test performed on March 14 it was possible to notice how these new hydrogen-powered buses, as well as prevent pollution of city air, are also very silent compared to traditional fuels bus. It also does not require special devices for drivers since there is no difference from other buses of ATMs.
