Hamburg advances research for hydrogen infrastructure
As a lead partner of the EU-funded Baltic Sea Region (BSR) HyAirport project, Hamburg Airport organised a hydrogen specialist conference ahead of the Hydrogen Technology Expo taking place in Hamburg from 21 to 23 October.
Describing hydrogen as the energy carrier of the future for short and medium-haul routes
Christian Kunsch, Chairman of the Management Board at Hamburg, said:
If we want to achieve the ambitious sustainability goals of the aviation industry, we must develop and build the necessary infrastructure for this future today.
This, he added, will only be possible if stakeholders collaborate and cooperat,
The Baltic Sea Region HyAirport project is a way for us to collect and share our expertise internationally – as lead partner, we are actively driving research for H2 infrastructure.
The BSR HyAirport project is comprised of 15 partners and 24 associated organisations from the aviation industry and from seven countries – Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. Together they are testing practical hydrogen solutions and developing the infrastructure required to use hydrogen across airport and aircraft operations.
The conference not only explored the use of hydrogen as an aircraft fuel, but also its use in ground operations as a CO2 emission-free alternative to fossil fuels. Similar projects, including the TULIP consortium from the Benelux region and the OLGA project from southern Europe, were also presented at the conference. Hamburg Airport itself showcased the ongoing test of a prototype baggage tractor converted to being fuelled with hydrogen.
Based on an existing model with natural gas driver (Mulag 4CNG), the prototype vehicle was converted to hydrogen by HTM Hydro Technology Motors from Bingen am Rhein.
Kunsch, said:
This test has been very promising so far,
“We are examining the possibility of gradually converting our fleet of around 60 tractors to hydrogen drive. This would be significantly more sustainable than replacing them with new vehicles.”
Hamburg Airport will be represented at the Hydrogen Technology Expo alongside Renewable Energies Hamburg Cluster (EEHH) and the Centre for Applied Aviation Research (ZAL).
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Hamburg advances research for hydrogen infrastructure, source
