The Clean Hydrogen Partnership Awards the Best Innovation Award to the National Hydrogen Centre for the FCH2RAIL Project

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Last updated on 18 December, 2024

The National Hydrogen Centre (CNH2) has been honored with the Best Innovation Award 2024 at the European Hydrogen Week, securing 60% of the total votes cast.

CNH2 and CAF have received the Best Innovation Award for their contribution to the advancement of clean rail transport through the development of a testing bench as part of the FCH2RAIL project. This award recognizes CNH2’s long-standing expertise in fuel cell testing, which the team has been conducting for over 15 years.

In the specific case of FCH2RAIL, a testing system for the so-called Fuel Cell Hybrid PowerPack (FCHPP) was installed and operated at CNH2. This system powers a commuter train provided by Renfe. It is an innovative zero-emission energy generation system that uses electricity from hydrogen fuel cells and LTO lithium batteries on non-electrified lines (and from overhead catenaries on electrified lines).

The project, which lasted four and a half years, had a total cost of over €13 million. CNH2 received funding of more than €1 million for the testing of the PowerPack, regulatory framework analysis, and the installation and operation of a portable hydrogen refueling station that supplied the train during its journey across Aragón, Madrid, Galicia, and northern Portugal. This is the first fuel cell train to operate in the Iberian Peninsula, having traveled a total of 10,000 kilometers in hydrogen mode.

Visit the project page at https://fch2rail.eu.

 

This project has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (now Clean Hydrogen Partnership) under Grant Agreement No. 101006633. The Joint Undertaking is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program, Hydrogen Europe, and Hydrogen Europe Research.