The mobility sector faces
problems that must be solved in the short-term. Nowadays efforts are focused on
promoting electric vehicles, being a suitable solution for utility vehicles such
as cars or motorcycles. However, the solution is less competitive when the size
of the vehicle is bigger, like in the case of buses or trucks. This represents
a new logistical problem that hydrogen technologies could solve. Hydrogen could
be used as energy carrier for the heavy road transport sector.
The decarbonisation of maritime
transport sector is even more complex. The maritime sector represents
approximately 10% of the Canary Islands' final energy consumption. The
synthesis of fuels such as methane, methanol and ammonia, from a renewable
energy primary source, is of special interest since both alternatives can
produced an E-Fuel that can be managed in liquid stage at relatively low
pressures, reducing the volume that is required for its transport inside the
ships, compared to other technical solutions like the direct use of high
pressure hydrogen.
Within this European Recovery
Instrument (<<Next Generation EU>>),
ITC’s BIOGREENFINERY-GREEN HYDROGEN FOR
THE BIOREFINERY project (Exp. SD-2110) is being carried out, financed with Recovery Aid Funds for Cohesion and the
Territories of Europe (REACT-EU) and granted to the ITC by the Ministry of
Economy, Knowledge and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands
through the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and Information
Society (ACIISI).
BIOGREENFINERY wants to demonstrate the technical feasibility
and analyse the economic viability in the production of alternative fuels such
as green hydrogen and synthetic fuels associated with the transport sector
where currently fully renewable solutions have not been tested that allow
ensuring supply under equivalent operating conditions.
The
integrated RES-H2 system that includes the biorefinery will produce hydrogen
for use or in the synthesis of green E-fuels. Both hydrogen for direct use in the heavy road transport
sector, and in the production of synthetic fuels for the maritime and air
transport sectors of the Canary Islands, will contribute to reducing the
current total dependence on imported oil of the archipelago.
