- GREATER4H: STRING Megaregion Will Be a Pioneer in the Green Transition in Road Transport
- String Megar Region Will Be Pioneering the Green Change in Road Transport
Through the GREATER4H project, local and regional authorities in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, together with six companies, will apply for EU / CEF funding to implement plans to establish a network of hydrogen stations from Hamburg to Oslo.
There are already several good alternatives to fossil fuels. The fuel cell technology that enables the use of hydrogen in transport is a bright green hope for a zero-emission revolution in road transport. The members of STRING now plan to invest in the fuel network that will make this possible.
A hydrogen vehicle is refueled in 5-12 minutes, which makes it possible to transport goods and people without the logistical challenges that come with charging the battery-powered alternatives. Additional advantages of hydrogen vehicles are that they are quiet and that their only by-product is water. In order to take advantage of the benefits of making hydrogen fuel a reliable alternative to gasoline and diesel, it must be made available. By supporting the introduction of hydrogen vehicles through the establishment of fuel infrastructure, local authorities are helping to end the era of fossil fuels, and eliminate hazardous particulate pollution and CO2 emissions from the transport sector.
To solve the infrastructure problems associated with refueling, STRING’s members have joined forces with six private companies to form a partnership whose intention is to invest in a number of hydrogen stations across national borders. The GREATER4H project, which is a collaboration between the public and private sectors, is supported by EU funding and will, if approved by the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility), accelerate the import of hydrogen vehicles throughout the megaregion and make Northern Europe a global forerunner in the green shift of road transport.
The private partners Everfuel (DK), Hynion (NO) and GP JOULE (DE) will establish and operate the filling stations, while Quantron (DE) will roll out hydrogen trucks in different weight classes and lead the work of developing a market for trucks where demand increases, and it becomes economically viable to invest in the technology. In this way, GREATER4H will act as a catalyst by increasing the speed of development and delivery of hydrogen vehicles to the transport sector. The partners Ørsted (DK) and RENOVA (SE) contribute to GREATER4H with unique perspectives and insight into the supply needs for hydrogen, and with end-user perspectives as operators of hydrogen trucks. The 13 municipalities and regions in STRING will contribute by calling for regulation that harmonizes with the roll-out of hydrogen infrastructure, across national borders.
The Minister for Europe in Schleswig-Holstein, Claus Christian Claussen, says that “a transport sector without greenhouse gas emissions can only be achieved with a reliable supply network of hydrogen to the transport sector. GREATER4H can be a huge step in the right direction for the green shift, and will be a global example of how we phase out the use of fossil fuels in the transport sector “.
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