In the Innovationshub Tübingen, the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Energie is testing new technologies for sustainable rail energy supply. One of the initiatives is the H2goesRail project, which aims to demonstrate the economic viability of hydrogen-powered trains in the transport sector. In this project, Deutsche Bahn is collaborating with Siemens Energy, which has developed the hydrogen train Mireo Plus H for H2goesRail.
The French company Lhyfe is responsible for the construction and operation of the hydrogen production facility. According to a press release on Wednesday, June 19, Lhyfe has designed the plant as a "largely autonomous operated system." The production facility, coupled with a refueling station, can independently respond to customer demands. This project serves as a model for Lhyfe as it aims to test the "integration of green hydrogen production into customer processes."
Lhyfe described the commissioning of the system as a "particular challenge" due to the need to consider "many different dynamics" in the combination of production and refueling facilities for the railway. These include multiple compressions, storage, and fueling of hydrogen.
Hydrogen Trains as an Alternative
The Tübingen site is Lhyfe's first facility in Germany. Luc Graré, head of Central and Eastern Europe, emphasized that hydrogen trains are a "clean and efficient alternative to diesel-powered trains." H2goesRail thus has pioneering potential for passenger and freight transport.
By 2025, the company from the Nantes region aims to become a key player in the mobility and industrial sectors in France and Germany through customer deliveries in tube trailers (bulk). Since October 2023, Lhyfe has been building another facility in Schwäbisch Gmünd with a capacity of ten megawatts. This facility is expected to produce up to four tons of hydrogen per day. Since the second half of 2021, Lhyfe has been producing green hydrogen at its first site in France. In 2023, two more sites were opened there. Additionally, further facilities are under construction or expansion throughout Europe.