India’s first hydrogen powered trains are in the works. Over 11 metric tons less carbon dioxide will be emitted each year thanks to the trains.
Ballard Power Systems, a fuel-cell tech firm, has received a fuel cell module order from Medha Servo Drives, a rail system integrator, to create India’s first hydrogen-powered trains.
The two retrofitted diesel-electric commuter trains designed for Indian Railways will feature eight 100 kW FCmoveTM-HD+. They will be more efficient and have a higher power density than prior module generations.
The trains are set to enter service in 2024, with the possibility of further retrofits following the initial deployment.
Due to the fact that hydrogen is currently less expensive than diesel, the approximate investment in the hydrogen fuel cell venture will pay for itself in less than two years. The utilization of hydrogen will also decrease annual CO2 emissions by more than 11 metric tons and eliminate nearly a metric ton of particulate matter.
“Rail transportation is a critical piece of infrastructure across India, and we are proud to be taking the first steps to decarbonize this facet of our economy. With leading technology and strong project economics, we are optimistic about the future of zero-emission rail transport,” said Kasyap Reddy, Managing Director of Medha Servo Drives.
“Our progress in decarbonizing the rail market is just beginning, as we work with leading rolling stock manufacturers, integrators and operators globally. We are excited to grow our fuel cell business in India and to power the first hydrogen-powered, zero-emission passenger trains in the Indian market,” said David Mucciacciaro, Chief Commercial Officer of Ballard.
The Indian Railways Organization of Alternate Fuel (IROAF) welcomed bids in January 2021 to create a hydrogen fuel cell-based hybrid power train for retrofitting the 700 HP diesel-hydraulic locomotives that run on Himachal Pradesh’s Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge section.
Indian Railways hopes to save ₹23 million (~$309,718) annually by converting diesel-powered diesel-electric multiple units into a hydrogen fuel-based train. The technology will be evaluated on the diesel-electric multiple units on the 89-km Sonipat-Jind section of the Northern Railway.
Ballard and the Adani Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to assess the potential for fuel cell commercialization in India’s various applications. In order to manufacture fuel cells in India, the two parties will investigate their options.
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That’s great, but producing hydrogen requires burning fuel. Or using electricity, which often also requires burning fuel. So the savings by not emitting CO2 into a fake globe greenhouse may not be as much as they report.
Where is the information on the hydrogen infrastructure costs and emissions???
Wiki article states ~95% of H2 produced is from “fossil” fuels, and produced a significant amount of CO2 and CO… as byproducts. This of course is dependent on the process used (there are several), to extract the H2.
The process used most, near 50%, is H2 extraction from natural gas (methane) using steam, which has to be produced by some form of burning fuel, (natural gas or coal, to boil the water) because it’s the cheapest.
H2 extraction by steam produces the most of the boggie man gas (drumroll…) of C02… One ton of H2 produced produces from 9-12 tons of C02… so… so much for a “green” technology.
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production