Scottish city to get ‘world’s largest’ fleet of hydrogen-powered garbage trucks
Hydrogen hub
The UK’s shift towards decarbonizing its transport sector has gained traction in recent years, and last week its first hydrogen-powered train, theHydroFLEX, ran trials following a £750,000 grant from the Department for Transport (DfT) and more than £1 million of investment by rail firmPorterbrookand theUniversity of Birmingham.
Speaking at the trial, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also announced the government’s ambition for the Tees Valley region in north-east England to become a “trailblazing hydrogen transport hub”, which would bring together representatives from academia, industry and government to drive forward the UK’s plans to embrace the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.
The move could see the region become a global leader in the green hydrogen sector while creating hundreds of jobs.
A shift to hydrogen is part of a masterplan commissioned by the DfT to understand the feasibility of the hub and how it can accelerate the UK’s ambitions in hydrogen. The plan, expected to be published in January, will pave the way for exploring how green hydrogen could power buses, lorries, rail, maritime and aviation transport across the country.
Only around a third of the UK rail network has been electrified, with little extra track converted in the last few years. Without continuing to diversify the network, the government is faced with the dilemma of how to eliminate diesel trains that produce carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants.
While the use of hydrogen can be ‘green’ – by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity from solar and wind power –concernshave been raised about a cheaper and more prevalent method to extract it from natural gas or coal, which emits carbon dioxide.
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Story byCities Today
Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.Cities Today is the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders.
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