Sustainable Mobility for Trains, Ships and Planes: The Role of Hydrogen

(Edison Next) ... By promoting an ecological transition that favors the use of low environmental impact vehicles, we are also in line with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development of the EU. In this context , green mobility brings with it the advantage of reducing pollution : limiting or eliminating pollution, both atmospheric and noise, is in fact one of the primary objectives of sustainable mobility. Vehicles powered by petrol or diesel are among the main culprits of poor air quality in areas with the highest population density, with negative impacts on public health. Similarly, the noise produced by incessant traffic can also cause stress and health problems for people.

The use of green hydrogen is already developing in sustainable road mobility : projects are in fact starting that foresee the application of this carrier in sectors in which the electrification of fleets is more difficult or does not allow for maintaining efficient performance, such as for example in heavy transport (trucks, trucks) or in local public transport. However, there is also great interest in hydrogen in the airport, railway and naval sectors, sectors in which, even if the use of this carrier is still in its infancy, projects are being studied that could lead to a green turning point .

In particular, great expectations are placed on green hydrogen “compact stations”, i.e. solutions that allow the production, storage, compression and distribution of green hydrogen in a limited space and which are specifically suited for refueling vehicles serving ports and airports.

However, for green hydrogen to spread also in these sectors, the support of adequate financing aimed at stimulating its production, demand and supply in our territory is essential.

Airports increasingly green

As regards the airport sector, rapid progress is being made in Italy, especially in terms of decarbonising logistics.

For example , Sea, Aeroporti di Milano, with the OLGA project , hOListic Green Airport, funded by the European Commission (Horizon 2020), has undertaken an important path that aims to reduce the environmental impact of the aviation sector by aiming to transform the Milan Malpensa airport into a “hydrogen hub” in the short term for land vehicles, and in the long term also for aircraft (three other European airports are involved in the OLGA project: Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Zagreb airport in Croatia and Cluj-Napoca in Romania).

Furthermore, the Malpensa H2 project has also started in Milan Malpensa, financed by the PNRR and developed by Edison NEXT in collaboration with SEA near the Malpensa Cargo City area in synergy with OLGA.

This project involves the construction of a green hydrogen refueling station, powered by an electrolyzer installed on site, which will refuel heavy vehicles for airport logistics in the Malpensa Cargo City area. The station is expected to enter service during 2026.

Other Italian airports, including Turin and Venice, have also reached agreements for the creation of technological infrastructure for hydrogen refueling of both aircraft and airport vehicles. The goal is to develop possible solutions also for energy needs related to accessibility to the airport, making the entire airport system zero-emission.

The initiatives undertaken both for the Marco Polo airport in Venice, which through a pilot project intends to start experiments to be extended on a large scale, and for the Turin airport, which plans to create a " hydrogen-ready " fuel cell system in cogeneration configuration with a power of 1.2 MW, are moving in this direction.

Sustainable mobility in the railway sector

As regards rail transport, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) envisages the use of hydrogen trains for non-electrified railway lines in regions with high passenger traffic and a strong use of diesel trains, such as Lombardy, Puglia, Sicily, Abruzzo, Calabria, Umbria and Basilicata.

To date, as reported in Legambiente's Pendolaria 2024 Report , approximately 28% of the national railway network is not electrified.

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Focus on the naval sector

In terms of maritime shipping, Europe’s first hydrogen-powered ferry, developed under the EU-funded HySeas III project , was unveiled in 2021 and will be able to carry up to 120 passengers and 16 cars (or 2 trucks). The vessel is designed to operate between Kirkwall and Shapinsay in the Orkney archipelago, off the north coast of Scotland, where hydrogen fuel is produced using wind power.

In Italy, in 2019, at the Venice Boat Show, “Hepic” was presented, the first hydrogen-powered vessel for passenger transport in the Venice Lagoon.

In the sector of logistics related to hydrogen maritime transport, Italy is at the forefront: last year, the first hydrogen-powered vehicle for handling goods in a European port officially began operations at the Valencia Terminal Europa (VALTE) of the Italian Grimaldi group, in the Spanish port of Valencia. The vehicle will be used on an experimental basis as part of the European H2PORTS project .

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Finally, in the intralogistics sector, hydrogen-powered forklifts are gaining ground and will contribute to the decarbonization of warehouses and logistics hubs. Toyota Material Handling, at its Bologna headquarters, launched a forklift for handling goods in 2020. The hydrogen forklift reduces CO2 emissions and takes just a few minutes to refuel. Its use allows for high performance and productivity without harmful emissions, operating in any factory without producing noise.

Themes and scenarios on zero-impact mobility of the future are explored in the white paper “Sustainable Mobility” created by Edison NEXT, which analyzes all the opportunities offered not only by hydrogen, but also by electricity and biomethane. The white paper is a complete guide for companies and public administrations interested in developing low environmental impact mobility. Green hydrogen and transport were also discussed in the webinar " Green hydrogen: the sustainable choice for industry and mobility " , organized by Edison NEXT in collaboration with Digital360, broadcast on 12/09/24 and available on demand . READ MORE

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