A hydrogen train manufactured by Alstom, on September 16, 2018 in Bremervoerde, Germany (AFP / Patrik STOLLARZ)
Germany inaugurates a rail line running entirely on hydrogen on Wednesday, a “world first” and a major step forward for the decarbonisation of rail, despite the supply challenges posed by this innovative technology.
A fleet of fourteen trains, supplied by the French Alstom to the region of Lower Saxony (north), will replace the current diesel locomotives on the hundred kilometers of the line connecting the cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehud, not far from Hamburg.
“Whatever the time of day, passengers will travel on this route thanks to hydrogen” summarizes to AFP, Stefan Schrank, project manager at Alstom, who welcomes a “world first”.
Hydrogen trains are a privileged way to reduce CO2 emissions, and replace diesel, which still supplies 20% of journeys in Germany.
They mix hydrogen on board with oxygen present in the ambient air, thanks to a fuel cell installed in the roof. This produces the electricity needed to pull the train.
– Orders –
Testing a hydrogen train manufactured by Alstom, in Bremervoerde, Germany, September 16, 2018 (AFP / Patrik STOLLARZ)
Designed in France, in Tarbes (south), and assembled in Salzgitter (center) in Germany, Alstom’s trains – baptized Coradia iLint – are pioneers in the field.
Commercial trials have been carried out since 2018 on this line with the regular circulation of two hydrogen trains. The entire fleet is now adopting this technology.
The French group has signed four contracts for several dozen trains, in Germany, France and Italy, and does not see demand weakening.
In Germany alone “between 2,500 and 3,000 diesel trains might be replaced by hydrogen”, estimates Mr. Schrank.
“By 2035, around 15 to 20% of the regional European market might run on hydrogen,” confirms Alexandre Charpentier, rail expert at Roland Berger, to AFP.
Hydrogen trains are particularly relevant for small regional lines, where the cost of a transition to electric is too high compared to the profitability of the link.
Currently, around one out of two regional trains in Europe runs on diesel.
Alstom’s competitors have also entered the race. The German Siemens unveiled a prototype train with Deutsche Bahn last May, with a view to commissioning from 2024.
But, despite these attractive prospects, “there are real barriers”, says the expert.
Because the trains are not the only ones to be thirsty for hydrogen. The entire transport sector, road or air, but also heavy industry, in particular steel and chemicals, rely on this technology to reduce their CO2 emissions.
– Resource still scarce –
A hydrogen train designed by Alstom being tested in Bremervoerde, Germany, September 16, 2018 (AFP/Patrik STOLLARZ)
Even if Germany announced in 2020 an ambitious plan of 7 billion euros to become a leader in hydrogen technologies in a decade, the infrastructures are still lacking in the country – as in all of Europe – whether for the production or transport, and require colossal investments.
“For this reason, we do not see a 100% replacement of diesel trains by hydrogen”, according to Mr. Charpentier.
Furthermore, hydrogen is not necessarily carbon-free: only “green hydrogen”, produced using renewable energies, is considered sustainable by experts.
Other manufacturing methods exist, much more common, but they emit greenhouse gases because they are made from fossil fuels.
Proof that the resource is lacking: the Lower Saxony line should, initially, use hydrogen by-product of certain industries, such as chemistry.
According to the French research institute IFP, which specializes in energy issues, hydrogen is currently “95% derived from the transformation of fossil fuels, almost half of which from natural gas”.
However, Europe is already facing tensions over its supply of Russian natural gas, once morest the backdrop of a showdown with Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
“Political decisions will have to prioritize which sector the production of hydrogen will or will not go to,” said Mr. Charpentier.
Germany will also have to import massively to meet its needs. Partnerships have recently been signed with India and Morocco, and an agreement to import hydrogen from Canada was on the menu during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to that country this week.
