Focus was on the role of hydrogen
A round table on the challenges and use of renewable energies in the Alpine region was recently held at the Green Energy Centre in Innsbruck in September 2023. One particular focus was on the role of hydrogen. Together with protagonists from the Tyrolean economy and research, the difficulties and obstacles currently facing hydrogen applications in the Alpine region were discussed. Based on this, possible solutions were outlined.
Hydrogen has great potential, but implementation is still in its infancy
The following company representatives took part in the round table in Innsbruck: Wolfram Gehri from Postbus, Peter Waldenberger from the freight company Gebrüder Weiss and Wolfgang Madl from the food retailer MPREIS. Michael Polzinger represented the Austria-wide hydrogen cluster of Hydrogen Partnership Austria (HyPA). And Nikolaus Fleischhacker from FEN Research GmbH spoke on behalf of research organisations.
The participants began by explaining how their companies support the use of renewable energies. Peter Waldenberger explained that investments are being made in photovoltaics and that the company’s CO2 emissions are also being measured. Hydrogen and battery-powered lorries are also in use. Wolfgang Madl explained that numerous stores are equipped with photovoltaics. The aim now is to replace natural gas and diesel.
Wolfram Gheri from Postbus pointed out that around 630 buses are in use in the Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg region, only five of which are electrically powered. All buses together require around 14 million litres of diesel per year. The main aim is therefore to decarbonise the vehicle fleet. However, Postbus is dependent on partners for this.
Michael Polzinger from HyPA introduced the cluster and showed how it supports companies in ramping up the hydrogen economy. And Nikolaus Fleischhacker explained that FEN Research supports companies in the transformation of the energy system and also lives this itself. The company has been focussing on photovoltaics and e-vehicles for more than 10 years. FEN Research is also involved in or leading many hydrogen projects.
Gebrüder Weiss believes that hydrogen is the ideal replacement for diesel. At the moment, however, the price is still far too high. Gheri agreed that hydrogen is ideally suited for the commercial vehicle sector. As a bus operator, it is also important that the industry produces vehicles that can be used in the Alpine region. These do not currently exist.
Madl emphasised that hydrogen can be used excellently wherever battery-electric solutions reach their limits. It is also ideal for storing excess capacity from electricity production. Fleischhacker referred to the Tyrolean energy strategy. This states that the energy system should be converted to electricity. The storage of excess capacities is therefore of enormous importance.
Overall economic view necessary
When asked what obstacles need to be overcome in order to get hydrogen solutions off the ground, the discussion quickly turned to the lack of political will. Peter Waldenberger explained that politicians are focussing heavily on industry when it comes to hydrogen. The mobility sector is being neglected. In Switzerland and Germany there are clear subsidies for hydrogen lorries, but not in Austria. The issues of producing and refuelling with hydrogen are also unresolved.
Madl added that the availability of vehicles was a huge problem in the mobility sector. Gheri stated that the technology was far enough advanced that buses or lorries could be built on a large scale. What is missing, he said, is the initial impetus from politicians, who are clearly focussing entirely on the battery-electric variant.
Michael Polzinger from HyPA emphasised that the obstacles on the way to implementing hydrogen solutions could be overcome by identifying needs and disclosing them to politicians. It would also be useful to pool research results and make them available. He emphasised that there is currently a lack of skilled personnel to build and operate hydrogen plants.
Fleischhacker regretted that there was often a lack of understanding of the energy industry context. The importance of hydrogen for stabilising the energy system is therefore not understood and the discussion is reduced to a price debate.