Hydrospider, a joint venture between H2 Energy, Alpiq and Linde Gas (PanGas), has reached another milestone on the journey towards more sustainable, emission-free heavy goods transport in Switzerland.
- Hydrospider has commissioned its first electrolysis plant at the Alpiq Gösgen hydropower plant.
- With a capacity of 2 MW, it is the largest plant in Switzerland for producing green hydrogen for commercial use in emission-free heavy goods transport.
- The first special container filled with green hydrogen was transported from Gösgen to St. Gallen and is now being used to complete commissioning of a new hydrogen filling station.
- Together with H2 Energy, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility and logistics and trade partners, Hydrospider is currently establishing a pan-European unique business model to promote hydrogen-based mobility.
At the Alpiq Gösgen hydropower plant, which is over 100 years old, the recently established company commissioned the largest electrolysis plant in Switzerland for producing green, climate-friendly hydrogen. The water is separated into hydrogen and oxygen using only electricity that is produced on-site with 100 per cent hydropower.
300 tons of green hydrogen a year
The first special container, filled with 350 kg of hydrogen from the Gösgen production facility, was transported to St. Gallen, where it is being used by AVIA Osterwalder for final testing as part of the commissioning process for the first hydrogen filling station in eastern Switzerland. The filling station is scheduled to open in summer 2020. In future, the hydrogen will primarily be used for emission-free drives in heavy-duty fuel cell trucks and fuel cell cars.
The 2-MW plant from Hydrospider will produce around 300 tons of hydrogen a year, which equates to the annual consumption of 40 to 50 trucks or around 1700 passenger cars.
A unique hydrogen ecosystem in Europe
The hydrogen is produced using renewable energy and is a central element in the emission-free mobility business model that Hydrospider is currently establishing with Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM) and the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association. The business model is based on a purely private-sector commitment initiated by H2 Energy. As well as production and procurement of green hydrogen by Hydrospider, it includes the heavy-duty fuel cell trucks from Hyundai, a clear plan to expand the necessary filling station infrastructure, and a commitment from transport and logistics companies to use heavy-duty fuel-cell trucks in the future.
By 2025, some 1600 heavy-duty fuel cell trucks from Hyundai will be on Switzerland’s roads solely on the basis of this unique hydrogen ecosystem. Their only emission will be water. This will turn a sustainable, climate-friendly link between the energy and mobility sectors into a reality in the area of heavy goods transport.
About Hydrospider
Hydrospider safeguards production, procurement and logistics for green hydrogen from CO2-free production. Hydrospider was created in early 2019 from a partnership between hydrogen pioneer H2 Energy and Alpiq, a leading Swiss energy producer and service provider. The two companies each hold 45% of the shares in Hydrospider AG. The other 10% are held by the Linde Group of Germany. Linde is one of the world’s leading industrial gas and engineering companies and is active in more than 100 countries. In Switzerland it operates under the name PanGas.
Visit www.hydrospider.ch for more information and the explanation video “Unique hydrogen ecosystem”
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