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The objective of this project is to analyze the Czech railways and locate areas where hydrogen train technology would be a preferred technical, economic, and environmental solution compared with other train technologies.
Project study will examine and collect initial data especially from the non-electrified railways where diesel train are operated. Through the methodology and software developed by SINTEF, the analysis will generate techno-economic analyses and make a comparison ranking of train technologies solution between diesel, battery, hydrogen, and hybrid trains. The results will allow to identify preferred areas with a beneficial techno-economic and environmental outcome by deploying low-emission trains for replacing future decommissioned diesel trains on non-electrified railway. The project is scheduled to end in the spring of 2024.
The project is based on a bilateral cooperation between a Czech consortium and the Norwegian research institute SINTEF. The Czech consortium will collect and develop the local data, while SINTEF will use those data with their expertise of simulation and calculation of techno-economic analyses. This cooperation allows the partners to develop together their research-based knowledge for the potential competitive deployment of low carbon emission technology.
During the workshop, the preliminary results of the project were presented in the following presentations:
Lukáš Polák also gave an interview for Hytep in preparation of the topic.: Interview with Lukáš Polák from ÚJV ŘEŽ on the project Regional hydrogen trains on Czech railways (RegioHyt) - Czech Hydrogen Technology Platform (hytep.cz)
The workshop was attended by more than 50 people. These were primarily experts in the field of hydrogen technology. Representatives of the state administration and media were also present. There were 4 presentations at the workshop. An introduction on the topic of the methodology for the selection of lines / lines and the collection of railways. Jan Perůtka from the Transport Research Centre, v. v. i. followed by a presentation by Martin Paidar from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague on the topic of hydrogen production in the Czech Republic and its carbon footprint. Lukáš Polák from ÚJV Řež presented techno-economic assessment of individual lines and also the conclusions for the feasibility study. And since the workshop was held at the Innovation Centre in Ústí nad Labem, the final word was given by Karel Tichý from the Economic and Social Council of Ústí Region, who spoke about practical steps towards the development of hydrogen use in Ústí Region, examples of projects under development. All these presentations were followed by a professional discussion with the participants.
As part of the project, a second workshop entitled "Workshop on hydrogen and zero-emission trains" was held on Tuesday 25th April 2023 in Lillestrøm, Norway. In the presence of representatives of the Czech and Norwegian project investigators, a presentation and evaluation of the results so far took place. For example, the different conditions of hydrogen production in the Czech Republic and Norway were presented and the profile and character of the railway network in both countries were compared. The programme of the workshop also focused on raising awareness of the possibilities of using hydrogen in emission-free rail transport in order to initiate a discussion between research, government and private institutions. In addition to the organizations participating in the project, representatives from Ballard and Maintech attended the meeting. Ballard is one of the largest suppliers of hydrogen fuel cells in the world, while Maintech is focused on emission-free hydrogen production in Norway.
On 6th April 2022, an inspection day and technical meeting took place for the research project TO01000324 Regional hydrogen trains on Czech railways. The meeting was attended by representatives of ÚJV Řež, VÚŽ, VŠCHT, HYTEP and the Norwegian partner SINTEF. Beyond the research team, representatives of the Transport Research Centre and the Railway Administration were also present. During the meeting, the ongoing work was discussed in terms of selecting lines suitable for potential deployment of hydrogen trains and collecting data for subsequent techno-economic analysis. Existing and planned hydrogen sources in the Czech Republic were also discussed. After the technical meeting, all participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the hydrogen economy in the UJV and other research projects.
On Wednesday, 10th November 2021, the presentation workshop organized by HYTEP – Czech Hydrogen Platform took place in the Conference Centre of ÚJV Řež. The workshop was organized within the framework of the TA ČR project TO01000324 "Regional hydrogen trains on Czech railways", which is financed from the EEA funds. During the workshop, the preliminary approach and direction of the project was presented to all stakeholders with the intention of obtaining feedback.
The workshop was well attended by railway experts and researchers and was under the auspices of Ing. Aleš Doucek, Ph.D., who also gave the opening speech. The second speaker was doc. Ing. Martin Paidar, Ph.D. from the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, who presented hydrogen production and its carbon footprint in the Czech Republic. He was followed by Ing. Marek Pětioký, Ph.D. from the Railway Research Institute with his presentation on the selection of the lines chosen for the simulation. The whole workshop was then concluded with a presentation by Ing. Lukáš Polák from ÚJV Řež, who focused on the topic of simulation methodology and its expected results. Between the individual blocks of the workshop, the participants were given space for questions and additions to the discussed topic, and a lively discussion took place during the breaks. Invited participants included representatives from the ÚJV Řež, Czech Hydrogen Platform, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Czech Technical University in Prague, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Railway Research Institute, Railway Administration, Transport Research Centre, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic, Moravian-Silesian Region, Moravian-Silesian Energy Centre, State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic and Linde, DEVINN and Alstom. In conclusion, the workshop was held to the full satisfaction of the organisers and all participants.
Presentations from the seminar can be found below in the "Downloads" section.
The project Regional hydrogen trains on Czech railways (TO01000324) benefits from a € 545 598 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic within the KAPPA Programme.
www.eeagrants.org
Contact – Ing. Lukáš Polák
More information about the project can be found here.
