The first hydrogen production station and refuelling facility has received the necessary building permits whilst simultaneously securing essential co-financing from Europe.
The station will operate in Larnaca, in the Aradippou area. This is a project costing €7.5 million, with 60% coming from European funds.
The station is estimated to be able to produce 150 tonnes of hydrogen annually, a quantity corresponding to approximately 627 tonnes of diesel.
Implementation requires additional steps
Although permits have been secured, this is only one step for implementing the station, as other procedures must simultaneously run and possibly agreements from the state. This is because currently there are no vehicles in Cyprus that use hydrogen as fuel.
According to Phileleftheros sources, the state is considering announcing a scheme for subsidising the purchase of vehicles using hydrogen, something similar to schemes for buying electric cars.
However, according to the same sources, what appears to be proposed as a starting point is using hydrogen in transport, and for this reason contacts have already been made with those involved for this purpose.
Heavy vehicles targeted first
As conveyed to Phileleftheros, hydrogen can initially be used in heavy and other vehicles, including public vehicles, and at a later stage targeting private vehicles. This way Cyprus’s pollution levels can be reduced.
Experts told Phileleftheros after a related question that converting cars using conventional fuels to hydrogen cannot be done; therefore, purchasing and importing cars with pre-installed specific technology will be required, and the entire undertaking needs some time to be implemented.
Renewable energy storage solution
Beyond its many advantages, green hydrogen production and its use as fuel bring other benefits for Cyprus.
In a period when green energy rejection is large and the state seeks solutions, hydrogen production can help because it can use energy from Renewable Energy Sources for hydrogen production, which can be stored and used whenever needed as fuel.
It is an energy storage solution, as experts commented to Phileleftheros.
Electric vehicle disadvantages highlighted
Electric cars have been promoted in Europe as a solution for reducing pollution and the use of fuels like petrol and diesel, however, electric mobility has its own disadvantages.
First, in Cyprus electricity prices are high and thus citizens continue to bear increased transport costs whilst the cost for buying an electric car is increased compared to conventional ones.
A second disadvantage of purely electric cars is their autonomy. Although in recent years most car manufacturers have made cuts in batteries, giving autonomy of hundreds of kilometres, nevertheless, charging time remains a negative factor for many.
In contrast, cars using hydrogen technology can be refuelled immediately from a station, as applies with conventional fuel cars, thus reducing waiting time and without autonomy anxieties.